


The Name of Revenge

by Annalas



Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mystery, Puppy Danger, Slow Burn, Soft XueXiao, Touch-Starved Xiao XingChen, XueXiao - Freeform, xiaoxue - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 74,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22027318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annalas/pseuds/Annalas
Summary: It's all for revenge, he tells himself nightly. To twist and corrupt his enemy, he needs to build trust. But what is Xue Yang willing to do to gain the trust he so desperately needs?
Relationships: Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn & Xiǎo Xīngchén, Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi, XuēXiǎo
Comments: 248
Kudos: 298





	1. March

"Let me come with you."

This was going to be Xue Yang's third time coming out with Xiao XingChen on a night-hunt. There had always been hatred between them, from the very first meeting. Then, Jin GuangYao had smoothed the way between them so that Xiao XingChen left with only the beginnings of a lecture finished. Then Xiao XingChen had stood up for Chang Ping, of all people. He had only been subsidiary to Xue Yang's goals, originally. He was not part of the Chang clan, and thus Xue Yang had little business with him until he had apprehended Xue Yang. 

There was nothing Xue Yang hated more than conceited cultivators sticking their noses where they didn't belong. Xiao XingChen became his enemy when he stood up for the Chang clan. After all, what sort of person would step into a situation he knew nothing about? Xue Yang had lost a finger to the clan's leader. 

_Thwart my revenge, Xiao XingChen,_ he had sworn, _And I will take vengeance on_ you _instead!_

And so he had. Case closed, Xue Yang turned to continue on with his life. Who would know that Fate would stick Xiao XingChen in his path once again? Xue Yang wasn't the type to ever really forgive someone. He could ignore someone and not actively seek vengeance on them. After the incident at the White Snow Temple, there was no need to pursue Xiao XingChen or Song Zichen any further. Now that Daozhang was in his path, though...it would have been a waste not to take even more revenge. 

"I will scout ahead," Xue Yang offered as they walked down the path on their third night-hunt. "We should know what we are walking into."

"With only two of us," Xiao XingChen began. He paused, appearing to re-think his initial protest. "...perhaps it is better if you are my eyes, in this case."

"You have Shuanghua," Xue Yang replied, his tone smooth despite the smirk on his face. "But Shuanghua only points to corpse energy when it is unsheathed, does it not? It is best not to unsheath your sword for no reason in a town full of people."

"You are right," Xiao XingChen sighed. "I will have to impose, then."

"I will return shortly," Xue Yang assured him, unable to stop a trickle of excitement from leaking into his words. Doubtless the Daozhang would think he was merely excited to be assisting him. Xue Yang had a very important job, after all. He was Xiao XingChen's eyes. 

He ran ahead, knowing that time was short. He had already been to this particular village once that day, liberally tossing corpse powder into the air during a busy market day. Pandemonium had ensued. Survivors spread the word of walking dead in the small village and of course, people had come to fix the situation. Xue Yang specifically had come to fix the situation, though not in any way a typical cultivator would use. More corpse powder flew into the air. Xue Yang attacked any villager he saw, viciously cutting out their tongues. 

A family of six were still sitting at the table to eat dinner when he attacked one house. Xue Yang laughed in glee as he picked up their tongues from the ground and dropped them into the large soup bowl in the center. 

"Eat up," he snickered before turning to leave. The father grabbed at his sword and began to attack, his movements slow and clunky from the poison. Xue Yang ran.   
"It's the entire village," he reported to Xiao XingChen, slightly out of breath. "You know my spiritual power is lower than yours, so I did not dare to attack of them by myself. But they saw me and are pursuing."

"Drawing them out so that they do not attack us all at once is a good strategy," Xiao XingChen confirmed. He drew his sword.

Killing intent glinted in Xue Yang's eyes as he watched Xiao XingChen murder the poisoned villagers. This was the best kind of revenge, the kind where those who thought that they were righteous fell so quickly and so far. He wanted to call out in glee as Xiao XingChen destroyed the village. He wanted to see the look on his face when he found out that this was not the first village, but in fact the third where he had killed people that could have been saved. If he weren't blind, if he hadn't been stupid enough to give up his eyes, this never would have happened. Funny how choices have consequences. 

There was suddenly a scream, making Xue Yang's eyes snap up. He had missed one! The Daozhang was in the middle of carving his way through a wall of people. Some of them had picks, hoes, or axes. Most of them were defenseless and trying to run away. Xiao Xingchen's sword was merciless, finding and pointing itself at every villager.   
"There's a survivor!" Xiao XingChen changed direction, heading towards the sound. Xue Yang leaped into action. 

"Hold them off, Daozhang!" Xue Yang called out, cutting in front of him. "I'll save him!" 

He watched Xiao XingChen's whisk fly, his sword stab, slice, and flick. Satisfied that the Daozhang trusted him enough to 'save' this person, Xue Yang turned and went looking for the man. By the time he found the man, the corpse poisoning was already working its magic on him. 

_Good to know I did at least half of my job right,_ Xue Yang thought. The man choked and coughed as his zombified family attacked him. With a smirk, Xue Yang walked over stabbed his blade into the man's mouth. He ceased trying to cough out blood. Likewise, Xue Yang's sword flew, dismembering the man's loved ones. No need to get Xiao XingChen involved in this little debacle. He hiked his sword over his shoulder and strolled back to where the massacre was finishing up. 

"They're gone," Xue Yang announced as he arrived. He tried to put sorrow in his voice, as if he was broken up over his own ability to save the man. 

As he stepped into the center of the village, his eyes landed on Xiao XingChen. He was resplendent in blood-spattered robes, the crimson starkly contrasting the simple white he had once worn. There was blood streaked across his face, as if a stray drop had splattered and been hastily wiped off. As Xue Yang looked over the bloody scene, noting the way mud and blood intermingled and caked the hem of Xiao XingChen's robe, a stray thought brushed his mind. 

_I want him,_ he realized, his ecstasy subsiding slightly. _I originally wanted him to kill more than fifty people because of me, then more than a hundred...but what are the lives of one hundred people compared to mine? It's not enough. I want him._

"No survivors," Xiao XingChen let out a defeated sigh. Xue Yang imagined him closing his eyes, if he had had them, when he looked down at his sword. He didn't even know he had killed living people, yet he still felt sorrow for the dead. 

Xue Yang rolled his eyes and slowly walked up to the man. He would have to be more careful in the future not to destroy the entire village, if he could help it. Or perhaps spread out the killings and make sure Xiao XingChen saved a few people once in a while. They could always die later, after all. He couldn't let the Daozhang get too suspicious of him. His plan only worked if Xiao XingChen trusted him, after all. 

"There will be another town," he assured him. "Let's round up the bodies and burn them."

"Yes," Xiao XingChen sighed and sheathed his sword. 

Xue Yang wanted to push him back against the nearest building and smother him with hard lips and sharp teeth. He wanted to move bloodstained robes aside and have his way with Xiao XingChen then and there in the deserted village, corpses watching their fornication. The thought of the scene excited him in every way and he dared to drag his eyes up and down Xiao XingChen's slender form. In his fantasy, their copulation was forceful, but mutually desired. He wanted to break Xiao XingChen in every way, to have him in every way. 

_Song who?_ Xue Yang thought in his head. _When I'm done with you, you won't even remember your dear friend's name. The only thoughts you will have will be of me, the only things you do will be at my bidding. I will remake you in my image, Xiao XingChen. No longer righteous, but as twisted and cruel as myself. Then, only then, will I tell you what you have done._

It was a challenge, he knew. Someone as righteous and kind as Xiao XingChen would not easily, willingly, enjoy the killing of so-called 'innocent people'. Then again, was anyone really innocent? Given hardship, did people not turn on one another in an instant? All he had to do was introduce the hardships and watch the fire burn. It was good to have goals in life. 

Xue Yang and Xiao XingChen pulled the bodies together and lit the fire, letting them all burn together. He was careful not to let the Daozhang touch the ones he had killed directly. Paranoia seeped through his blood in the oddest ways, and though it was unlikely Xiao XingChen would find anything wrong, he did not want to take the chance. The man hadn't turned into a ghost puppet at all. His dark pupils were wide open and staring as the flames began to creep up his clothes. Xue Yang couldn't stop himself from smirking. 

"Is that all of them?" Xiao XingChen's voice broke him out of his reverie. Xue Yang nodded before replying. 

"Everyone," he replied, turning to face his enemy. The image of Xiao XingCheng wielding his horsetail whip and Shuanghua stayed in his mind, making his heart beat faster in excitement. How easy it was to fool this man! He thought he was helping, but in reality his penchant for not minding his own damn business was getting innocent bystanders killed at the tip of his own blade. If he only knew, if he only knew! But no, Xue Yang wasn't impulsive. He was playing a long game of strategy with a skilled opponent. He must not underestimate the cultivator. 

"You look like you're getting married," Xue Yang suddenly said. "Your robes are so red now, Daozhang."

Xiao XingChen froze as he realized what Xue Yang was saying. His hand clenched, knuckles white from holding the whisk tightly. Xue Yang smiled, his canine teeth poking out in a childish manner. Xiao XingChen no doubt felt the blood seeping through the layers towards his skin. But knowing wasn't the same as someone mentioning it, as being forced to imagine his appearance in such a grotesque way.

"Marriage is an inappropriate association," he murmured. "Let's head back. Perhaps we will return before A-Qing wakes up."

"It is so far to the coffin-house," Xue Yang complained, "and I do not look much better than you. Let's find a place to clean ourselves first. Wet clothes are better than bloody ones."

Xiao XingChen neither accepted nor rejected the change in plans. Instead, he simply followed Xue Yang into a house and began searching for a basin. Together, they disrobed down to their underclothes and began to wash their outerwear clean. Xue Yang couldn't keep his eyes off his Xiao XingChen. One day, that body would be his to paint blood trails on, arching and moaning in pleasure all the while. Xue Yang couldn't wait. 

"Stand still," Xue Yang suddenly walked over to Xiao XingChen with a wet cloth. Carefully, he dabbed at the streaks of blood on his face. Xiao XingChen had cried at some point, too, likely when they were loading the villagers onto the bonfire. He heard his enemy's breath catch slightly at the action, but he stood and allowed it. 

"Didn't want you to miss one," Xue Yang explained. His touch was as gentle as he could make it. Go gentle, earn his trust. Manipulate him like strings on a puppet. A small smile lit on Xiao XingChen's face, contrasted sharply by the twisted smirk on Xue Yang's. This stupid fool thought that Xue Yang was like him, a kind cultivator that also hunted monsters. He had no idea that the true monster was eventually going to be himself. If only he knew!

A few minutes later, Xue Yang had hung his outer robes up to dry while the other continued to wash the bloodstains from his. He was so slow, Xue Yang thought, annoyance crossing his mind. Everything he did was accurate, but slow. He did not walk quickly, he did not chop vegetables quickly, he did not wash his clothes quickly. Instead he took his time, checking his robes over inch by inch for the slight change in fabric texture that might signify dirt. Xue Yang sat in the dirt, head on his hand, and watched him. Revenge was going to be so, so sweet.


	2. Early May

It took months for Xiao Xingchen to trust Xue Yang to fully assist him on night-hunts. Naturally, he trusted him with some things, such as going out to buy quality food. He trusted him enough to stay out his way and out of immediate danger during night-hunts. He was not nearly as naive as Xue Yang thought he was, however. The sharp remarks to A-Qing and the sporadic pranks that were more abusive than funny, at times, didn't allow him to let down his guard completely. He continued to test the stranger in their midst with little items, seeing how he reacted. Then with bigger things. 

It was during a night-hunt with just the two of them, alone in a farmer's field but for the monster ahead of them, that he began to see the nameless one as an equal. He had always wondered if his new friend had held back from him, counting on Xiao Xingchen's blindness to hide something about himself. It wasn’t until they faced the Dark Widow monster together, a giant thing with far too many legs and sharp fangs, that he began to realize that Xue Yang was better at swordplay than Xiao Xingchen had been led to believe. More than just a person that could hold a sword adequately, Xue Yang was actively keeping the monster's back turned towards Xiao Xingchen, allowing him to strike at the best acupoint accurately. 

Later, monster vanquished and their baskets filled with food from a grateful farming family, they began the long walk back to Yi City. Xiao Xingchen placed his feet on the ground carefully, walking with seeming confidence. He expelled so much spiritual energy just attempting to walk without tripping over a rock on the road. He carried his sword in one hand and a basket of food with the other, silently listening to Xue Yang speak.

His senses had heightened without his eyes for assistance. He smelled fainter scents on the wind, felt the barest breeze touch his face, tasted the slightest hint of blood when he licked his lips. Xue Yang was flinging around lighthearted jokes as normal, but Xiao Xingchen felt that something was off. What was it? What was it??

"Are you injured?" he finally asked his companion. 

"..."

There was something off about Xue Yang's gait. Not so much that he was favoring one leg over the other, but rather that he was walking slower and with more care than normal. Xiao Xingchen's mind whorled as he tried to come up with the reasons for this variance. The path was not overly crooked or treacherous. He was not helping guide Xiao Xingchen down the road...and he hadn't wiped Xiao Xingchen's face. 

That was what it was. It dawned on him that that was what had bothered him since they had left the farmer's house. On every night-hunt, Xue Yang made it a point to carefully wash Xiao Xingchen's face, or at least offer. A few times he had laughed after he had ever so gently wiped his face and explained that there hadn't actually been blood on Xiao Xingchen's face at all. He just really liked caring for the Daozhang. Naturally this excuse was almost immediately refuted when he declared that it certainly wasn't his turn to wash the dishes or cook dinner. Xiao Xingchen still enjoyed the closeness of the act, nevertheless. 

He wasn't fool enough to think that this man was in any way a replacement for Song Zichen in his life. His partner in cultivation was lost to him forever, though hopefully...hopefully he could at least see now. Hopefully Xiao Xingchen's sacrifice had not been in vain. A-Qing was a wonderful girl, but she was young and more of a daughter to him than anything else. He carried her, patted her on the head, guided her around obstacles if he sensed them, and at times even hugged her. But they weren't close in the way he craved. There was no intimacy there.

The past few years without Song Zichen had been lonely in more ways than one. The nameless man had never directly offered himself to Xiao Xingchen and the Daozhang doubted he would even be interested in a blind man. Still, the small ritual was one he had grown to cherish. It had not happened, though. Not on this night-hunt.

"Where would you get an idea like that?" Xue Yang responded after a moment of walking in silence. 

Xiao Xingchen imagined the man's eyes roving over to him in question. Was he wrong? Perhaps he was reading too much into things. Perhaps there was just something on the man's mind that made him walk more carefully and forget about their ritual. Xiao Xingchen was surely reading too much into things. 

"It was a fierce battle," he replied. "You should tell me if you are injured and not try to hide something."

"Daozhang," there was a hint of amusement in the other's voice. "You are too caring. I received a small wound, but it's nothing. I'll treat it once we return."

"How small?" Xiao Xingchen demanded. In his mind, 'small' meant simple cuts and scrapes. If it needed treatment at all, it shouldn't wait. 

"You know, small!" He could almost hear the shrug from the other man as the nonchalant tone floated past his ears. "The monster got its fangs into my side a little. It's nothing."

A bite wound from the Dark Widow monster was not 'small', nor was it 'nothing'. Xiao Xingchen frowned, wondering if he should press the issue. It was a long way home and he wasn't entirely sure he had a remedy there, either. 

"The wound may be poisoned," he replied after a moment. 

"It's probably the kind of poison candy can heal," Xue Yang quipped, eliciting a small laugh from the Daozhang. There was a small crinkle of paper as Xue Yang pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. He always seemed to carry a few pieces with him, Xiao Xingchen had noticed. He imagined Xue Yang's smile at the sight of the candy. He seemed like a man that cherished them, always wrapping them just for a moment to taste the sweetness before putting them back in the wrapper to savor again later. He always acted as if each piece of candy were his last. 

"It would not be so simple," Xiao Xingchen said. He traded his sword to his other hand and reached out to grasp the other man's wrist. "We need to find a remedy sooner rather than later. The wound needs to be treated."

"It doesn't hurt to try," he said, tearing his wrist from Xiao Xingchen's. There was the sound of the candy wrapper unwrapping and Xue Yang putting the candy in his mouth. At least he hadn't lost his appetite due to the wound. As expected, a moment later he put the candy back in the wrapper, then back into his pocket. 

The habit was one that annoyed Xiao Xingchen in ways he could not politely express to the younger man. If the nameless man wanted to enjoy the candy, he should enjoy it fully. Tasting just a bit every now and then was hardly enough to taste the full extent of the sweetness. That wasn't even mentioning the amount of spit on the piece of candy that he had so easily tucked back into his pocket, wrapped in its wrapper. The mere thought of the act was enough to nauseate Xiao Xingchen. He wasn't anywhere near as mysophobic as his previous partner had been. He just had standards of cleanliness, such as not wearing bloodstained, travel-stained robes and not wiping spit all over an object before tucking it back in his pocket.

It took them three hours to return to the coffin home. A-Qing came out to greet them and Xiao Xingchen gratefully passed his basket over to her care. 

"A-Qing," he said. "Would you go to town and get a few things?" He sent her away to get things that may help the slow of the poison. She took the bit of money the farmer had given them and rushed away. 

Xue Yang sighed as he settled down on the side of the bed. Xiao Xingchen walked over and knelt on the floor beside the bed. 

"Show me," he told the nameless one. "I sent A-Qing to the market to get supplies for an antidote."

"I can barely feel it," Xue Yang protested, his voice light. There was a rustle of fabric and Xiao Xingchen imagined him removing his outer robes. With two blind people here, he hardly had to wear anything at all while he was in the coffin home. 

"Oh," a surprised utterance from Xue Yang. "I suppose it doesn't look very good, now that you mention it."

Now that the wound was exposed, Xiao Xingchen could smell the toxins seeping from the wound. He got up and boiled water on the stove. When he came back, Xue Yang had removed his shirt and now sat before him bare-chested. Xiao Xingchen tried not to imagine what the stranger looked like as he gently cleaned the wound for him. 

The act was something Xue Yang could do for himself and even now, Xiao Xingchen could almost taste the tension emanating from the man's body. He could feel a pair of eyes staring down at him as he worked, could hear the hitched breathing of the person next to him. 

Was this going too far? Was he invading the man's space when he wasn't wanted? But if he was...why would Xue Yang not push him away? Why would he not protest more to the clinical care Xiao Xingchen was giving him? He couldn't see what expression the other held, could only go forth and continue based on his assumption that the other man would stop him if he was uncomfortable. 

"Do you know what Dark Widow venom does?" Xue Yang asked abruptly, tearing Xiao Xingchen from his thoughts. He finished wiping the wound clean. He wrapped a few herbs in a thin cloth, soaked it in the hot water for a moment, and then pressed it to the wound. Xue Yang let out a small hiss. 

"This herb will help with the swelling," Xiao Xingchen explained. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with this particular monster, but it seems to be akin to a spider bite."

"It is," Xue Yang replied. His fingers brushed against Xiao Xingchen as he replaced the Daozhang's hand in pressing the cloth against his skin. Xiao Xingchen picked up a longer bandage and began to carefully wrap it around Xue Yang's body. He tried not to think of the bare skin his fingers scraped in any way but the medical, clinical one. Yet his mind still wandered, wondering what Xue Yang's body looked like, felt like. It had been so, so long since he had been this close to anyone. He wasn't Song Zichen, but he was someone. 

A-Qing returned with more herbs and medicines. Xiao Xingchen put them away for future use and began to cook dinner while Xue Yang launched into a narrative of the battle that had taken place a few hours before. He made it sound as if it had been a daring feat on his part to heroically sacrifice himself and allow Xiao Xingchen to get in the killing blow. In the back of his mind, Xiao Xingchen noted the differences from his own perception of what had happened. 

"I don't believe you!" A-Qing replied. "Daozhang could have killed the monster without your help!"

"That's not true!" Xue Yang exclaimed. "It was all thanks to me that the Dark Widow had its back to Daozhang so he could finish it off!"

They had an early night that night. Xue Yang took the bed while Xiao Xingchen headed to his coffin to rest. A-Qing, apparently finding the two tired warriors boring, slouched off to her coffin as well for a rest. It left plenty of time for Xiao XIngChen to contemplate how soft the nameless man's skin had been, despite the firmness he was sure were muscles. 

His body craved to touch and be touched in return. Those small moments were so close to what he wanted, but never enough. He thought about asking to sleep beside the nameless stranger, just to feel the warmth of another person. But he was sure that that would be crossing a line. The tension in Xue Yang's body earlier told Xiao Xingchen all he needed to know. His touch was not fully welcomed.

=====

In the sole bed of the house, Xue Yang shivered as sweat coursed down his body. He had a fairly high constitution, but the poison of a Dark Widow monster was potent. Allowing himself to get bitten increased Xiao Xingchen's trust in him. Though Xiao Xingchen was fast and had high spiritual energy, he exhausted it simply by accommodating for his lack of eyes. Xue Yang had known he couldn't risk Xiao Xingchen dying on him, not yet. There was still so much to do! What was one little monster bite, after all?

It had hurt more than he had expected. Afterwards, while Xiao Xingchen wrapped up the elimination of the monster's corpse, Xue Yang had used his normal methods to extract a delicious fee from the farmer's family for their services. 

He could have killed the family, he knew. If they had made a single comment about Xiao Xingchen being blind or if he had not been so delighted with the sweet cakes that had been added to the basket, he might have done just that. But the family had been nice enough, the food was good, and his side hurt from the monster attack. So the family lived another day.

Hours later, Xue Yang lay in bed in silent agony as the venom flowed through his veins. He maintained that he was fine, kept his voice light. Neither of his companions knew how profusely he sweated or that his throat felt as dry as charcoal. He warred with himself on whether to tell them and drag sympathy from them, or refuse to show them any weakness. He kicked his legs outside of the blanket, feeling too hot and too cold at the same time. He needed to focus his energy to neutralize the poison, but he didn't have the energy even to sit up. 

He stared at the coffin that served as a makeshift bed for Xiao Xingchen, silently urging him to get up and walk over to take his temperature. To touch his forehead. To touch him in any way possible. Xue Yang bit his lip at the wanton thought passing through his mind. More and more, he found traces of evidence that Xiao Xingchen might be open to sharing their bodies. He thought about how carefully he had cleaned Xue Yang's wound, how his fingers had lingered slightly too long on the bandage wrapping around his abdomen. It was a another step of many on the trail to his ultimate revenge. But it wasn't time, not yet. He wanted to own Xiao Xingchen, body and soul. One was useless without the other.

Xue Yang shivered and pulled the blanket closer to his shoulders. He could feel sweat running down his legs as he lightly panted. The herbs weren't doing quite enough to stave off the infection, which meant that Xue Yang was beginning to run a fever. That was the most likely scenario. He trembled as a coldness enveloped him, knowing even then that it was a sign of weakness. His body wasn't freezing, yet it was hot and feverish. Try as he might, he couldn't remember if he was supposed to keep warm during a fever or try to lower his body temperature. Either option seemed viable to his mind. Burn the fever out or stop himself from overheating. Decisions, decisions. 

He awoke with a start to find the sun shining through the ripped paper windows, a hand on his forehead. Xiao Xingchen hadn't come over the night before, but in the daylight he had appeared. Xue Yang couldn't quite help but push his forehead into the Daozhang's hand, reveling in the cool touch. He was so cold, yet also so very, very hot. Xiao Xingchen's hand felt so cool and refreshing against his heated forehead. 

"You're awake," Xiao Xingchen breathed. The relief was evident in his voice. "Here, take this." Xue Yang felt an elixir being shoved into his mouth. He obediently tried to swallow it, but it stuck to the roof of his mouth. A water flask was pushed against his lips. He drank greedily despite his churning stomach. 

"Slowly," Xiao Xingchen cautioned him. "Slowly. You have a fever from the bite."

The hand returned to his forehead, long fingers hanging down to cover his eyes briefly, too. He closed his lids and sank back into the bed. He really hated Xiao Xingchen, he thought to himself. He hated the person who would so easily nurse a stranger back to health, who would stop whatever he saw as an injustice. Sticking his nose into other people's business. He really hated the guy. 

But his hand felt nice. And then, just as Xue Yang began to choke on his own blood and bile, an empty bucket appeared before him. He sullied it even as fingers combed his hair back and stroked gently across his crown and forehead. Xue Yang closed his eyes, the world tilting around him. He had been sick plenty of times, poisoned once or twice besides. He always woke up a few days later with soiled bedsheets and a pounding headache. No big deal. He was a survivor. This was the first time someone had sat beside him as he vomited up whatever was left of his stomach. 

_Stupid, naive, idiot..._ he thought to himself. _You're so stupid, Xiao Xingchen! Can't you see who I really am and how I've used you so much? How many towns have we found walking corpses in? How many people have you killed with your sword, thinking you were saving them?_

But he didn't utter a word and neither did Xiao Xingchen, aside from sending A-Qing away. Xue Yang closed his eyes and leaned against the cool hand, still shivering. It was hard to hold onto his hate when Xiao Xingchen cared for him so selflessly. Just the day before, Xue Yang had felt fine. What type of poison was this, to affect him so greatly for so long after the creature had died? Was he even back at the coffin home, or had the village kept them to answer more questions?

"Daozhang," he murmured, his eyes opening only briefly to look at his companion before closing again. "It's nothing. Just a small bite."

"It's the venom of the Dark Widow monster," Xiao Xingchen contradicted him. "You'll get through it. Make sure you're controlling you breathing."

"That's...hard to do," Xue Yang admitted. His chest felt tight, his stomach nauseous, and his head was swimming in ways he hadn't thought possible. It was a good thing that Xiao Xingchen knew so much about medicine, he thought as he tried to sit up. 

He ended up leaning against Xiao Xingchen, his feverish mind equating the man to his savior at that moment. He really, really hated being poisoned like this. Though it was his own fault for getting bitten, he wished the Dark Widow monster had had a family that he could avenge himself on properly. Her soul had been too harsh, too brutal, too last so long in this mortal world, though. There were no others that she would have cared about.

"Daozhang," he murmured, closing his eyes and leaning into Xiao Xingchen. "Daozhang."

"Stay calm," Xiao Xingchen supplied. Perhaps he thought he was being helpful. "The fever will pass and then you will be back to normal."

When Xue Yang awoke again, he was covered in sweat. The blankets were heavy around him, layered up to keep him warm. Three blankets...all three blankets. Someone had placed every blanket in the house on top of him. He groaned and opened his eyes. His mouth was parched and his body felt limp and tired, as if he had fought a long battle.

His eyes fluttered closed again and he let out a long sigh. He hadn't known that the venom would be so potent, or so slow-acting. A damp cloth pressed over his forehead, drawing a small moan from him. 

"Are you awake now?" Xiao Xingchen's voice floated down to him. Xue Yang let out a small noise of acknowledgement, receiving a chuckle in return. "I was worried, but...the fever seems to be gone, now."

Xue Yang remembered brief glimpses of his fevered dreams. There had been images of Xiao Xingchen with Xue Yang's sword in his gut, then others where Xue Yang was locked in a cage or being held down. Suddenly he opened his eyes and stared wide-eyed at the Daozhang. What if he had called out something to reveal his identity, or what if Xiao Xingchen had touched his left hand and found out about his missing fingers? Would the Daozhang still be sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a cloth to his forehead?

"It appears so," Xue Yang commented, staring up at Xiao Xingchen's serene features. He didn't move as the cloth was removed from his forehead, rinsed, and replaced. Fever or not, it felt nice to lay back and let someone else dote on him. There had never been anyone in his life to do such a thing for him and if Xiao Xingchen was stupid and naive enough to want to help him...well, it'd be a shame not to let him.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang said after a few moments of silence. Something about the gentle way Xiao Xingchen cared for him reminded Xue Yang of the way he had treated his wounds when he had rescued Xue Yang. It made something in his stomach clench without reason. He hated it, and he hated Xiao Xingchen. But he loved how hands-on Xiao Xingchen was. 

"I'm here," he replied. 

"I know that," Xue Yang snapped at him. "I can see you, remember?" He sent a smile towards Xiao Xingchen, though it failed to take the bite from his words. "How long was I asleep?"

"You were in and out of sleep for almost two days," Xiao Xingchen reported. He removed the cloth once again and started to stand up. Xue Yang's hand shot out from under the covers and clutched at his wrist suddenly. 

"Don't leave," he quickly said. He didn't know why he nearly begged this person he hated not to leave. He should have said something innocent sounding yet cutting and watched the Daozhang leave his side quickly. But he didn't want that. 

"Then I'll stay," Xiao Xingchen's lips turned into a small smile as he settled back down on the edge of the bed. "Though I should go cook something for you to eat."

"Make A-Qing cook," Xue Yang pouted. "I'm sick, so you should stay with me."

"The venom has run its course," Xiao Xingchen answered promptly. "Your body is just recuperating from its effects."

Xue Yang couldn't stop a yawn from alighting on his face. He reached up to stifle it, once again drawing attention to all of the blankets draped over him. 

"Did you and Little Blind give me your blankets?" he suddenly realized. 

Xiao Xingchen only gave him a slight nod. Xue Yang's teeth poked out from his smile as he looked up at the Daozhang. Little Blind had to have been angry when she found out she had to give up her blanket to Xue Yang. He couldn't wait to rub it in her face later that Xiao Xingchen had made her give up her blanket for him. How satisfying, indeed. 

Perhaps there was something to allowing Xiao Xingchen to dote on him while he was poisoned. What would he think later, once he knew how close he had come to Xue Yang sickening and dying before him? How many times could he convince Xiao Xingchen to save his life, not knowing whose life it was that he saved? Once again, the desire for ownership of the man washed over Xue Yang. There were so many ways to own a person, after all. Why should he settle with just the Daozhang's body?


	3. August: Part 1

August  
Xue Yang preferred to go on long night hunts with Xiao Xingchen rather than stay at the coffin home where A-Qing was constantly around to hassle them. Blind though she was, she had a fierce personality that more than compensated for her disability. He could hardly play a prank on Xiao Xingchen before she somehow found out or 'accidentally' disrupted it. So he began to play pranks on her, too. Xiao Xingchen was just as annoying with how often he saw through Xue Yang's shenanigans. He was at least calmer and less scolding than A-Qing. 

"Daozhang," Xue Yang wheedled, pushing desperation into his voice. "There are so many poor people out there that cannot afford to have a cultivator come save their home or village. Shouldn't we be the ones to help them?"

And so they left A-Qing at home again, traveling more than two days to find the next village that needed help. This particular village supposedly harbored a haunted house. At night, shrieking emanated from the house and those that heard it suffered terribly.

"It makes my ears bleed," one peasant said. His name was Ling LanSu. There was a certain kind of desperation in his voice that Xue Yang quite liked. Desperate people were willing to do many horrific things. He smirked as he considered what he might do to Xiao Xingchen here in this village. The Shadow Puppets Who Are Actually People ploy was starting to get old and Xue Yang was casting out for fresh ideas. 

"I have nose bleeds," another explained. "The screaming hurts my head horribly. It even causes me to go blind for a time!” As if realizing what he had said and who he had said it to, the villager frantically tried to backpedal. "Er, that is to say...I feel like I _might_ go...it's simply a bit hard to uh...see..."

Xue Yang had already pulled his knife out of his belt and started playing with it as he stared straight into the man's eyes. The threat was very apparent to those on the veranda who could see. Fortunately for Xue Yang, the most important one there could not. 

"I understand," Xiao Xingchen answered calmly. He seemed zen enough, but Xue Yang could see how one side of his jaw had tightened slightly. He was so sensitive about this issue he had brought upon himself! "We will be sure to check out the house next."

He stood, and Xue Yang rose as well. He did a great job at following Xiao Xingchen along as if he hadn't had much experience with night hunts before he had met the Daozhang. He was Xiao Xingchen's bodyguard, of a sorts. Part of owning something, after all, meant that he had to look after it and guard it against other people. Xiao Xingchen would one day die a miserable death, but it would be his hand and no other. 

"Daozhang," he approached Xiao Xingchen as they neared the house. His sword was slung casually over his shoulder as he pulled out an apple he had taken from the first villager they had encountered. "It is nearing nightfall. We should find a place to rest."

It was late afternoon, nowhere near the time they needed to be looking for lodgings. The village was in a valley, though, so the sun was blocked by the tall peaks of the mountains behind them. There was no sun to hit Xiao Xingchen's face to tell him what time of day it was. 

"The children are still playing in the streets," Xiao Xingchen replied. "We have time to find alternate lodgings. For now, we should check out this house."

"As long as we don't end up staying in the house," Xue Yang groused. He followed the blind one along, taking in every detail he could about the village. It was a nice enough village, the same as any other small village they had passed through. It was boring in its sameness. The only reason they were in the village in the first place was because of the supposedly haunted house. A woman swept the porch nearby, eyeing them distrustfully. 

Xue Yang walked past the house the first time. There wasn't any corpse energy coming from the house to trigger Shuanghua. Xiao Xingchen walked past the house as well, Xue Yang trailing behind him. They were nearly to the end of town when Xue Yang began to realize that they must have passed the house.

"Hold up," Xue Yang caught Xiao Xingchen's sleeve. The Daozhang stopped immediately. "We must have passed the house by now. Let's turn around."

"I would have missed it completely without you," Xiao Xingchen murmured, turning walking the way they had come.

With a sharper gaze, Xue Yang observed the houses as they passed, finding the single solitary and abandoned one. By this time, the light had gotten dim enough that the sun had surely set by now. The children began to be called inside by their parents. The woman still swept the porch, aiming to get every speck of dust from it. Xue Yang turned away from the neighbor. She was just being nosey to see who went into the house so she could gossip about it later, no doubt.

"This house is abandoned," Xue Yang said, guiding Xiao Xingchen by his elbow towards the house. It looked exactly like the houses next to it, except for the drawn shutters and the shabby lanterns flapping in the wind. He had expected more from a haunted house.

"It is probably the right one," Xiao Xingchen acknowledged. "Though I do not sense any evil from within it."

"Maybe it only manifests at night," Xue Yang replied. He knocked open the door with the hilt of his sword and stepped inside, Xiao Xingchen following after him. The room was empty of most furnishings, dust collecting on the table that remained. "It certainly looks abandoned."

They toured the house slowly, but nothing seemed out of place. The house merely appeared to be abandoned, not haunted. With a sinking feeling, Xue Yang realized that they would need to spend the night to determine if the house was actually haunted or not. He ran two fingers across the table, rousing the dust that seemed to cover everything. The house had been abandoned for quiet a while, a thick layer of dust coating everything. 

"There's nothing here right now," Xue Yang finished describing the last room to Xiao Xingchen. "Just another empty room. Nothing obvious stands out. No bloodspills, no bones..."

"Sometimes it is not so obvious," Xiao Xingchen replied. "Let's stay the night and see if anything changes."

"I knew you would say that," Xue Yang crossed his arms, the pout obvious in his voice. He did not protest overmuch. Xiao Xingchen would not listen to his pleas, if past experience was anything to go by, and spending a night alone with the Daozhang and no one else around was rare. If ever there was a time to flirt and to push Xiao Xingchen’s buttons, it was on a night like this.

Xue Yang started a small fire in the kitchen and set water on the stovetop to boil. A quick search of the room showed that there was no food or tea leaves to be found. Whoever had lived here previously had cleared out any such belongings. Xue Yang raided the pouch he kept at his hip for a few tea leaves. Xiao Xingchen was fond of tea, often drinking tea rather than eating meals. It left his face slightly gaunt, but it left Xue Yang and A-Qing's bellies to be filled with what food there was to be found. Tonight was looking like another night with less to eat for both of them.

Xue Yang dropped the leaves into the boiling water, watching the tea brew for a moment before pouring the first cups. As much as he told himself that fasting would help his spiritual cultivation, he could never manage to actually convince himself and his stomach that it was a good idea. His stomach had a mind of its own, and it wanted food. Too often had he gone hungry to appreciate the clear mind that came with the sharp pang of hunger.

“There’s no rice or any other food in the kitchen. It looks like it will be just tea tonight," Xue Yang explained as he served the cups on the dusty table. He did not bother cleaning the place. It was wasted energy when he didn't care and Xiao Xingchen couldn't see the filth. “Daozhang, perhaps we should go back to the teahouse and eat.”

"Tea is fine," Xiao Xingchen replied. “We ate lunch earlier today and if I recall, the price of a meal in this village is steep. I do not think we could afford to eat at the teahouse for every meal. We will go to the market in the morning and find something. It's getting late."

He blew on the tea before taking a gentle sip. Xue Yang did not bother pouting over the lack of food. He knew Xiao Xingchen was right about the cost of food and the late hour. He could probably venture out to get food before the tea house closed, but with darkness having already fallen, he risked letting the haunting begin before he returned--if they could afford the food in the first place. Xiao Xingchen really needed to charge more for his services. 

After the tea was cold and nearly gone, they sat across from each other, hands upturned on their knees as they tried to meditate. In Xue Yang's case, this mostly consisted of staring at Xiao Xingchen and trying to figure out exactly what 'owning his enemy' actually meant. 

He planned and schemed the best way to have fun with the Daozhang. The best way to keep Xiao Xingchen blind and willing to go along with whatever depraved thing Xue Yang suggested. He wanted to corrupt the Daozhang fully. Completely. And he wanted to do it all with Xiao Xingchen none the wiser until the very end. Whatever, whenever, that end happened to be. Xue Yang wasn't fool enough to think he could keep up this charade forever. But if he suceeded in the end, he wouldn't have to. 

More and more, his fantasies were turning from Xiao Xingchen killing innocents to the things he wanted to do to the Daozhang's body. Xiao Xingchen's body was his temple. He was always clean and tidy, frugal in his eating habits, never drinking. Above all, the Daozhang seemed to have no inclination to have sex with another. Xue Yang wanted to change that very, very much. The problem always came back to the same thing, though. _How?_

Of course he could start by convincing Xiao Xingchen to drink wine, then press his advantage. No, too easy. If Xiao Xingchen wasn't truly ready to do such a thing, it would hurt his trust in Xue Yang...and Xue Yang needed that trust for everything else he had planned. No, he needed Xiao Xingchen to come to him willingly and sober. He had to make Xiao Xingchen want to be corrupted by him. That was the ultimate revenge, the ultimate punishment for his foe. 

Xue Yang was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly dismissed the sound of the lanterns begin to swing outside the door. The floorboards around them creaked slightly, though neither of them had moved. Xiao Xingchen unsheathed his sword, laying the blade across his lap. 

"We're not alone," Xiao Xingchen said quietly. Xue Yang grabbed his sword as well, taking a look around the room. The dark had descended and they had not lit any lamps. He was as blind as Xiao Xingchen at that moment, only able to ascertain the presence of a spirit by feel. The hair on the back of his neck and his arms raised as footsteps began walking around them. A dragging sound followed, as if someone was pulling a heavy load. 

Xue Yang swallowed, gripping his sword tighter as he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from and what it was. He did not dare try to light a lamp now. He looked towards the source of the sound, but saw only the faint outline of moonlight from behind a shutter. 

Xiao Xingchen leapt to his feet suddenly, his sword flinging itself towards the source of the sound. The dragging sound stopped. Xue Yang climbed to his feet as well, making his way to the window and opening the shutter. Moonlight flooded the room, showing a figure shrouded in darkness at the end of Xiao Xingchen's blade. The blade gleamed as the moon reflected off of it. It was held before the person at neck level. 

"Who are you?" Xiao Xingchen demanded. 

The person did not respond, instead turning to face them both. Xue Yang stepped towards the person, trying to determine its exact nature. It was neither a fierce nor a walking corpse, nor was it a corpse at all. In fact, it looked like a very scared boy with an overly large sack behind him. The sack wriggled with something, either alive or believing itself to be alive.

The eyes were wide pools of black water reflecting the moonlight. Something in them made Xue Yang shudder. Those eyes were too wide, too innocent. Unnaturally innocent in ways that even Xiao Xingchen failed to be. No one was that innocent. 

"What's in the sack?" Xue Yang demanded of the boy. It wriggled again, a low mewling cry erupting from within. The boy continued to stare at Xue Yang and the Daozhang before slowly opening his mouth. 

Teeth appeared. Sharp fangs that were far too long, growing ever longer as the mouth continued to open far further than a human could ever manage. Shuanghua reacted, thrusting itself towards the creature. Xiao Xingchen followed it as the being snarled and leapt at him. 

Xue Yang held his own sword at the ready, poised to strike if the opportunity arose. When it came to the creature of this magnitude against the might of a divine sword, blind or not, he trusted Xiao Xingchen could take care of the thing. It had once been human, perhaps. It had looked human-like, until it had opened its mouth. 

Shuanghua clashed against the wall, missing its target. The creature latched onto Xiao Xingchen, teeth burying themselves into his shoulder. The Daozhang gritted out a cry of pain and tried to free himself from the creature. Xue Yang rushed forward, grabbing the boy's hair and pulling hard. A knife would have served him better than a sword, with such close quarters. He didn't dare drop Jiangzhi and pull out a knife instead. The best he could do was physically hold the creature's teeth away from Xiao Xingchen. 

With surprising strength, the creature snarled once more and twisted in his grip. It kicked off of Xiao Xingchen, using the force to bowl Xue Yang over. He fell back, his head slamming into a pillar behind him, forcing Xue Yang to release his hold on the creature. Then the creature flew through the open window and disappeared into the night. 

"What..." Xue Yang groaned, pushing himself up. Xiao Xingchen was brandishing Shuanghua and slowly turning in a circle as he waited for the next attack. 

"It's...gone." Xiao Xingchen lowered his sword with a frown and walked over to Xue Yang. The youth stood, brushing the dust from his robe as best he could. He could already feel bruises developing, however short-lived they might be. Xiao Xingchen was bleeding from several puncture wounds on his shoulder, dark rivulets of blood staining the white robe. 

"Describe it for me," Xiao Xingchen said. 

"Looked human, but with unnaturally long teeth," he explained. "It seemed more intent on escape than harm...but I'm not sure what it was. It may have been human, once. It looked like a young boy around the age of ten."

The mewling sound erupted from the sack again. Xue Yang glanced at it, watching the sack wriggle. With his sword, he cut a slit in the sack and lifted a flap slowly. A black nose stuck its way out of the hole, followed by the head and body of a puppy. This one looked normal, unlike the figure of the boy. Xue Yang didn't want to take any chances. 

Before he had a chance to end the life of the so-called innocent dog, Xiao Xingchen was already holding his hand out to the thing. Annoyance overwrote the expression on Xue Yang's face as the puppy proceeded to lick at the Daozhang's hand. Xiao Xingchen began to pet the dog as it wriggled its way out of the sack and into the Daozhang's arms. 

"It's a puppy," Xue Yang deadpanned, though he was sure Xiao Xingchen could tell that by now. "It was carrying the thing around in a sack."

"Strange," Xiao Xingchen murmured. "If it was formerly a human...and a boy, at that. Perhaps--"

"I'm pretty sure it was going to eat it," Xue Yang supplied, cutting him off. "With teeth like that. You realize you're bleeding, don't you?" 

Watching the dark blood glint in the moonlight should have given him a sense of joy. All he felt was a sense of dread as he remembered the last time he had gotten bitten by something on a night-hunt. If xiao Xingchen fell ill, did Xue Yang have the expertise to treat such a wound? He was so much better at killing and torturing than keeping someone alive. He should have acted sooner, cut off the creature's head immediately. How could he get revenge if Xiao Xingchen died on him?

"It only grazed me," Xiao Xingchen replied. He slowly stroked the puppy's head as its tail thumped happily against his leg. 

Xue Yang rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to find some water. He knew that the Daozhang was more than aware that he had been bitten and should tend to the wound. It was simply faster if Xue Yang heated the water for him. The Daozhang was a bit distracted at the moment. 

"Well it looks bad," Xue Yang reiterated. Once the water was steaming, he poured it into a bowl and carried it over to where Xiao Xingchen and the puppy were still getting acquainted. He doubted the thing would be back that night, with the way it flew out of the house. At most, it would be back to watch them. 

As soon as he set the bowl down, the puppy came over and started to lap at the hot water. Deciding that dogs were weird--and annoyed that the water he was intending to use to clean a wound was going into a dog's mouth now--Xue Yang glared at the dog and privately vowed revenge. It shouldn't be too hard to convince the blind one that the puppy had found a nice home in the village or had run off. 

"Take your robe off," he ordered Xiao Xingchen, his voice sharp with rebuke, the normally pleading, playful tone gone in the wake of his own failure to protect what was his. 

_You're so stupid, Xiao Xingchen! Why didn't you just kill it when you had your blade to its throat?_

The Daozhang reached down and began to remove his outer robe. Xue Yang watched him with a mix of hunger and apprehension. The wound was still bleeding and he couldn't imagine that the creature hadn't infected the Daozhang in some way. Whatever it had been...it wasn't a fierce corpse. It was like no corpse Xue Yang had ever seen. It was closer to a monster, even if it had looked human-like. Unfortunately, he knew far more about corpses than he did about monsters. Xue Yang cut a piece of cloth from his inner robe and dipped it into the cooling water. It stung his hand with its warmth. 

"Here," Xue Yang said, his voice softened slightly as he used his knife to cut the inner robe away from the wound. He took the cloth he had dipped into the water and wrung it out before pressing it to the still-bleeding wound. He ignored the puppy for now. Apparently satisfied with drinking half the water in the bowl, the mutt laid down next to Xiao Xingchen's leg, resting its head on his knee. Xue Yang hated that he felt jealous of the dog. 

"Can you see it very well?" Xiao Xingchen asked. His voice was caring and soft. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to speak to him that way always. 

"No," Xue Yang admitted. "There's a little moonlight, but it's still dark. I looked around, but there is no oil for a lamp and no candle besides. We should go outside so I can see what I'm doing."

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen acknowledged, and he began to rise. Immediately, he sunk back down into the kneeling position he had been in, his arm reaching out to steady himself on Xue Yang's shoulder. "I don't think...I can stand."

Xue Yang rinsed the cloth in the water and pressed it to the wound again. He took Xiao Xingchen's hand and pressed it against the cloth. 

"Hold this here," he ordered. Xue Yang threw Xiao Xingchen's other arm around his shoulder and stood, bringing the Daozhang with him. A small protest of pain crossed Xiao Xingchen's lips. Xue Yang ignored it and half-carried the Daozhang over to the window, in full view of the moonlight. 

"What kind of monster do you think it is?" Xue Yang changed the subject as he touched Xiao Xingchen's hand, signaling it to lower so he could more clearly see the wound. It was already starting to darken around the edges. 

"Are you sure it's a monster?" his companion frowned, thinking it over. "Human in appearance, but not a corpse...so it seems. Shuanghua couldn't sense its evil energy until it had manifested right in front of us."

"The house does not carry any dark energy in it," Xue Yang agreed. "And the details of the monster does not match what the villagers told us about this place. So either there is a ghost and it is in hiding because of the monster, or the villagers know about the monster and were trying to lead us here on purpose. What do you think?"

"I'm sure the villagers would not mislead us," Xiao Xingchen immediately responded. "We spoke to too many of them for them to be in on a conspiracy. In all likelihood, the house is haunted and its energy drew the monster here."

"Maybe," Xue Yang agreed thoughtfully. There was no way the villagers hadn't mislead them. How to get the Daozhang to think such a thing, though? He had been so sheltered for the first seventeen years of his life, even now he did not understand the black hearts of people. Xue Yang wasn't quite prepared to tell him about how ugly people were. Not yet. He had to make Xiao Xingchen believe that Xue Yang himself was a shining example of humankind, compared to literally everyone else, first. 

"We should keep watch on the house in case the creature comes back, or the haunting we originally came here for," Xiao Xingchen stated. Xue Yang frowned, stifling a yawn. His belly gurgled in protest, as if to remind him that he had not eaten dinner, either. They certainly didn't take care of themselves on these night hunts. 

"Friend," Xiao Xingchen leaned back against the wall as he spoke, his words slow. "I am beginning to feel as though this wound is less than benevolent."

Less than benevolent. As if a creature taking a chunk out of his shoulder was any worse than any other monster they had faced together. The difference in this one was that the monster had gotten away. Normally on night hunts, Xue Yang was Xiao Xingchen's backup, jumping in to push the prey right back into the Daozhang's waiting sword. Normally on night hunts, he didn't permit the Daozhang to get hurt. This was his fault in a way, for allowing his toy to get hurt. That meant he had to do everything he could to right the situation. 

"We can find a healer when it gets light outside," Xue Yang noted. "But you have to stay awake until then."

"I suppose you're trying to say that dawn is not far off?" Xiao Xingchen asked. Xue Yang didn't tell him that the moon had not yet begun to fall. 


	4. August: Part 2

Dawn arrived with a cool fog leaching into the area around the house. Xue Yang had replaced Xiao Xingchen's outer robe on his form the night earlier while trying to figure out how he could pay for a healer for Xiao Xingchen, and whether the village doctor even knew of anything to help him. It was a reminder that Xiao Xingchen, for all his ethereal bearing, was just as mortal as he was.

A quiet rage had filled Xue Yang as he thought of how his own carelessness, how Xiao Xingchen's carelessness, might cost him his revenge. It was further exacerbated by the continued presence of the puppy. It seemed to have attached itself to Xiao Xingchen's. He could see the strained smile on the Daozhang's face, the way he warred with himself between trying to suppress the pain and delighting over his new friend. In the end, Xiao Xingchen tried to use the puppy to distract himself from his wound. Xue Yang glared at the thing with eyes green with envy. His envy and rage lulled him to sleep quicker than he had expected.

Xue Yang found himself awaking to the gentle brush of fingers through his hair. He sighed, leaning into the touch instinctively as his eyes opened to unfamiliar surroundings. His head was resting on the white-robed leg that belonged to Xiao Xingchen, and it was his fingers that carded through Xue Yang's messy hair. The Daozhang was leaning back against a pillar, his shoulder dark with bloodstained robes. The puppy was nowhere to be seen. 

The youth sat up and peeked under Xiao Xingchen's outer robe. The wound had stopped bleeding sometime during the night, but the area was swollen and red, sharp puncture marks marring the skin. He reached up to touch the wound, feeling the heat emanating from it.

"You're awake," Xiao Xingchen said, breaking the silence as Xue Yang probed the wound with his fingers. He should have reacted faster, stopped the creature from even coming close to the Daozhang. He should have lit a lamp so he could see it better instead of taking the extra time to reveal it in the moonlight.

"Of course I am," Xue Yang replied, keeping his voice light. "I can't believe I even fell asleep at all." He looked around, noticing the lack of their previous companion. "Where did the dog go?"

"Outside," the monk replied. Xue Yang rose and gathered their meager belongings. He was starving, but motivated. He had to get Xiao Xingchen to a healer, had to keep him alive for revenge.

"Let's go," Xue Yang bit out. He hoisted the Daozhang across his shoulders once more and started towards the healer's house. Thanks to their interrogation of one of the previous victims of the house, they already knew where it was located. Xue Yang knocked on the door loudly.

Xiao Xingchen's head rested on his shoulder, the Daozhang's breath ghosting against his cheek. Xue Yang was hyper aware of how close they were, how the Daozhang pressed up against him from behind. There were other, more important things to think about at that moment.

"What do you want?" Came the griping answer from the other side of the door.

"A healer lives here," Xue Yang demanded. "We need help."

"And can you pay?" the door opened to reveal a haggard old woman with arms crossed. "I can't help you if you can't pay."

Annoyance raced through Xue Yang. Healers had expenses, sure. But wasn't there some sort of code they were supposed to adhere to, where they needed to help those who needed it? And Xiao Xingchen needed help.

"We can pay," he lied, confidence in his smile. Xiao Xingchen tightly his grip on Xue Yang's shoulder and he prayed that the Daozhang wouldn't speak up and ask how. He shifted under Xiao Xingchen's weight, jarring him intentionally in warning. A choked groan emitted from the Daozhang.

The healer moved aside and nodded towards the table that dominated the room behind him. "Set him down there and we'll discuss exactly _how_ you're going to pay me for my services."

Xue Yang did as he was told before returning empty-handed to the old hag. He wanted to slowly kill her, making her scream out in agony until her last breath for the way she looked dismissively at them both. She was supposed to be helping the needy, and right now Xiao Xingchen was in need. 

"We're cultivators," he explained simply. "Here to rid that old house of the evil energy it possesses and stop the hauntings. Is that not payment enough?"

"You haven't done it yet, have you?" the old woman griped. "And from the looks of your friend, you may not even be able to. Money, young one. That is how services are paid for around here. I have expenses, you know! Medicine is not free! You think it grows on trees or in the hills or on the mountainside?"

 _Yes,_ Xue Yang thought bitterly, _it does!_ Like she was going to use more than the proper herbs to strain the infection away. He was already fed up with her. But if he tried his typical tricks now, pulling a knife to threaten her...well, she would make a ruckus and Xiao Xingchen would naturally be appalled. He sneered at the healer, knowing he needed to try to play by the rules right now. Just for now. He needed her help. Afterwards...he'd get revenge.

"How much for you to take a look at it and tell me what medicine I need?" Xue Yang tried to bargain with her. "I can go find _that_ myself."

They spoke prices for a while. Xue Yang tried his best to lower the price to something they could even think about affording, but the old hag seemed to have a knack for coin-pinching. It wasn't like he had much in the way of coin himself, and he knew Xiao Xingchen had next to nothing, as well. They had even skipped dinner last night because of it. The prices in this town were far too high. Finally, they were able to agree that, for the cost of every coin in Xue Yang's pockets, the old hag would look at the wound and tell him what sort of medicine might be needed. It was a shallow victory. 

Xue Yang burned with anger at the dismissive way the woman treated both of them. Because they did not have the amount of money she wanted, she treated them as if she was better than them. He plotted ways to slowly, agonizingly kill her. Or perhaps he wouldn't kill her. Perhaps he only needed to cut out her tongue, which was far too sharp. She would still be able to heal then, but without the harsh speech. Perhaps he would burn down her house, all of her precious medicines and things that caused her to 'have expenses'.

At the end, she told him what medicine was needed to cure Xiao Xingchen's wound and even showed him what the herb would look like so he could find it himself. He took Xiao Xingchen outside and down the street a ways before leaning him up against the wall. The Daozhang had remained silent since they had entered the house, which worried Xue Yang. He had expected Xiao Xingchen to chat up the woman at least a little. It might have made things easier, cheaper.

"She has the medicine in her house," Xue Yang complained to Xiao Xingchen. "But it's not a rare herb in this part. We might be able to find some around here. I will go look for it."

"I will be here," Xiao Xingchen assured him, giving him a weak smile. Xue Yang gave him an unseen nod before turning and walking off.

He walked in the opposite direction of the healer's house for a while before doubling back and approaching the house from the back. The woman was out in the yard by then, chopping her own firewood. Xue Yang glared at her hatefully and jumped to the top of the roof. He looked around, making sure that there were no nosy neighbors looking out for the old woman before he flew off the roof and landed next to her. She turned to him, hefting the axe in her hands.

"Our business is done," she told him, her eyes narrowing. "Or did you go rob some poor soul to pay my fee?"

"You seem so concerned about money," Xue Yang replied, his characteristic smirk crossing his face. "Don't you value anything else in life?"

"I value my way of life," she spit at him. "My _peaceful_ way of life. Now get out of here, you delinquent!"

"Don't you think it would be far more peaceful without a tongue to wag?" he returned gleefully. He leapt forward, his sword making its way inside of her mouth. He danced back just as quickly, avoiding the axe swing. The healer stumbled back, eyes wide and surprised at his audacity, and possibly at the pain of losing her tongue.

"There, that's better, isn't it?" he smirked. "Now, do be a good little healer and get me those herbs before I take something _else_. I'm thinking your fingers might be next."

Xue Yang washed his hands and face in a barrel of cold water before he returned to Xiao Xingchen. He didn't need the Daozhang to smell blood on him and guess what he might have been up to. The healer had been difficult and Xue Yang had changed his mind a few times on what the cost of her demeanor was. In the end, the healer lost not only her tongue but also one of her toes. He had a feeling that someone like that would definitely alert whatever authorities this village had sooner rather than later, after she was done nursing her wounds.

It may have been a bit short-sighted to so aggressively go after her, he thought. Perhaps he should have figured out who the town's authorities were and taken care of them himself before returning to Xiao Xingchen's side. But he didn't know how urgently Xiao Xingchen needed these herbs. So Xue Yang took the risk of letting those people live so he could make sure that Xiao Xingchen did, as well.

"Daozhang, I found some herbs," he explained as he quickly began to pack them over the wound. "They were growing in a someone's backyard, can you believe it?"

"Really?" Xiao Xingchen asked, leaning heavily against the building behind him. "That is fortunate."

"I couldn't pay for them, though," Xue Yang continued, a smirk alighting on his face as he remembered the healer's expression when he cut out her tongue. "So I made a deal with the owner of the house. He said I could take as much as I wanted if we delivered a message to his nephew a few towns over. The trick is that it has to be delivered tonight and the town is leagues away."

"And you agreed," Xiao Xingchen's lips curved into a smile. "I don't think I will be able to accompany you on this journey. A message so urgent must be important, and I will only slow you down."

The puppy came back then, licking at Xiao Xingchen's hand again. Xue Yang glared at the thing as he tried to reason with Xiao Xingchen, feeding his own lie.

"Let's both go," Xue Yang replied. "And if we're too slow, I can run ahead and deliver the message. We should stick together."

"We are still needed in this town," Xiao Xingchen reminded him. "There is the creature to deal with, and possibly a presence in the house."

"We were in the house the entire night," Xue Yang whined, "and no ghost appeared. The creature seemed only to be concerning with this dog, anyway."

He knew that the Daozhang would not want to leave town until the mystery had been solved and the creature had been taken care of. He closed his eyes, trying to think of a lie that would convince Xiao Xingchen to leave before the authorities began to arrive to arrest Xue Yang. 

Even without a tongue, he was sure the old hag would find a way to communicate what had been done to her. Perhaps he should have killed her and hidden the body, instead. Left it to rot on the hillside where she gathered so many herbs, or brought her resentful ghost back to listen to his every command. 

There had been so many other options that did not include leaving her alive. All of those options would have taken time he didn't have. Time to bring her back, time to clean up the evidence, time to kill the authorities before they could gather enough people to hunt him down. It would have been time Xiao Xingchen may not have had. His face was pale and bloodless, the wound red and feverish. 

"Don't you want to know what the message is?" Xue Yang replied in a teasing tone. "Daozhang, the message is this. The young master of the house begs his nephew not to come visit for his birthday, as his nephew does every year. The village elders here are abducting strangers and feeding them to a nameless creature that lives outside of the city. Daozhang, don't you think that this is somewhat suspicious?"

"It is suspicious indeed," Xiao Xingchen replied. "But is this the truth, or does he simply not want his nephew to visit?"

"Who wouldn't want their nephew to visit?" Xue Yang chided. "It must be true. And that is why I cannot leave you alone here, injured as you are. Come with me, Daozhang, and we will go deliver the message together. If we are a little late, it should not matter because we will meet the nephew on the road."

"Alright," Xiao Xingchen finally relented. Xue Yang finished wrapping his shoulder and then once more hoisted him up and began to carry him out of town. The puppy followed along, trotting happily beside Xue Yang. He glared at the thing, mentally telling himself that he was going to end the puppy the first chance he got. It was one thing to own one's greatest enemy and another thing entirely to own an actual dog.

They were able to get out of town without being stopped. Xue Yang carried Xiao Xingchen without audible complaint until they were far enough away for comfort. Then he carried him still, though his words were punctuated with jokes.

"Have you been eating behind my back, Daozhang?" he teased. "You are heavier now than you were this morning."

"That's right," Xiao Xingchen mused. "We haven't had breakfast, have we?"

"Or dinner," Xue Yang griped. "First apple tree I see, I'm stopping to grab a few."

Xiao Xingchen did not say anything to that, which was a good sign. He was hungry, too. How quickly those in dire circumstances--the sick, the injured, the tired--succumbed to temptation. At length, Xue Yang set Xiao Xingchen down by the side of the road and walked off to grab fruit from some trees.

"These plums are a bit overripe," Xue Yang explained, handing a few to Xiao Xingchen. 

They weren't of good quality, being so late in the season, but that meant that they were all the sweeter. He inhaled the sweet fruit, sparing only a glance over at Xiao Xingchen to find him nibbling at one of his own and trying to feed another to the puppy. The puppy sniffed at it, but objected. 

"Sometimes the farmers leave the undesirable fruits on the tree after the harvest," Xiao Xingchen agreed. "Or they forego harvesting at the proper time for the chance of creating wine from those fruits that are iced over by the winter frost."

"How do you know so much about wine making and harvesting?" Xue Yang asked, glancing over at the tree. It had nearly been picked clean, with his meager findings the only edible plums left. "There are hardly any plums left on the tree. You do not have to feel bad about stealing from some farmer's harvest."

"Even if I wanted to leave coin for the farmer," Xiao Xingchen agreed regretfully, "I don't think we have any more after we paid the healer."

Xue Yang was satisfied with the way things had turned out in regards to the healer. Perhaps she would be a little nicer to her guests from now on. Perhaps she would not charge as much for her services and help more people. The thing was, though, that people did not change so quickly. Even losing her tongue and a toe, she was sure to be more bitter and let her hatred grow. So be it...at least she would not say such harsh things to others. It was more than fair, bordering on lenient.

"When did healing get so expensive?" Xue Yang agreed. 

He finished the last of the plums and looked over at Xiao Xingchen. The morning sunlight made the plum juice glisten as it dripped down Xiao Xingchen's chin. The Daozhang reached up and wiped it away before Xue Yang could convince himself to do it for the Daozhang. Granted, he probably wouldn't have used his sleeve to do so.

"I think I can walk," Xiao Xingchen finally answered, once they had finished the plums. The dog steadfastly refused to eat the sweet fruit. Xue Yang rose and pulled the Daozhang to his feet, glancing down the road. "We should hurry as best as we can to find the nephew."

Ah right, the nephew Xue Yang had casually made up as he tried to get Xiao Xingchen to flee town with him. Should they return to town towards the dark and try to capture the creature that had been in the abandoned house? Xue Yang had a score to settle with the thing that had injured Xiao Xingchen, ultimately caused them to lose their money to a hag of a healer and be saddled with a puppy. It was just another mouth to feed and the way Xiao Xingchen treated it with kindness and touched its head so gently angered Xue Yang. What had the puppy done to deserve such good treatment?

"We should," Xue Yang agreed. There was nothing else he could say to that. He supposed that if they did not find a town, or even if they did find a town, but not someone claiming to be an imaginary person's nephew, it would not be bad. Xue Yang could twist his words to say that the old man must have wanted them to leave town to save them. A good Samaritan, as it were. "Here, hang onto me."

He guided Xiao Xingchen's hand to his shoulder and they began to walk, Xue Yang supporting the Daozhang when it was needed. The thing he cared about most right now was putting distance between himself and that town. If he were alone and did not have to hide such misdeeds from Xiao Xingchen, then he would have stayed in town and possibly cut down anyone come to arrest him. He would have returned to the house and tracked down the creature that had injured Xiao Xingchen. The healer's injuries and Xue Yang's rub with the authorities was really Xiao Xingchen's fault. He should have killed the creature immediately instead of trying to question it. 

They continued to walk in silence until they came upon another town. Xue Yang grimaced. He had hoped that they would have been able to avoid towns for a while. As they approached the town, something gnawed at Xue Yang. Looking around, he realized the town looked very familiar. The tea house had the same name and was located in the same place. The houses were the same colors, in the same order. Even the people looked the same. Had they really gotten turned around?

"This is the same town," Xue Yang muttered, more to himself than to Xiao Xingchen. He felt the hand on his shoulder tighten in response. "We didn't get turned around, we were following the road."

"Yes," Xiao Xingchen agreed softly. "Can you find the man you spoke to before? Perhaps he can shed some light on what happened."

"Of course," Xue Yang lied quickly. Internally, his stomach was clenching as he tried to figure out a way to hide his deceit. The puppy ran around them, happy to be home. He glared hatefully at it as they walked down the main street. How could he dupe Xiao Xingchen concerning where he had gotten the healing herbs now?

"Do you feel better, Daozhang?" he asked at length.

"Yes," Xiao Xingchen nodded, his lips turning into a smile. Xue Yang liked when that smile was aimed at him, as it was now. "My arm aches, but the swelling has gone down. I will be fine."

"Good," Xue Yang breathed. His eyes darted around. Surely the authorities would be looking for him by now. They had been gone for half a day already. Yet no one called out to them or confronted them. Had the healer truly kept her silence? She hadn't seemed like the type.

"Perhaps we should go back to the house first," Xue Yang suggested suddenly. "Look at it while it is still daylight. I do not even see the house where the man was before."

"We need to let him know that we failed to warn his nephew," Xiao Xingchen chided. "He helped us, after all. Seeing the house in daylight, dusk, or darkness, does not matter to me."

"Don't you think it matters to me?" Xue Yang exclaimed. "Don't be so stupid! I told you before, I will carry your sword and I will be your eyes. I cannot do that if I myself cannot see. Let's go to the house first and take a quick look around. Perhaps we will run into the man on the way."

They arrived at the same house as before. It still bore no evil energy, nor did it look any less abandoned. Xue Yang glared hatefully at the house. As if also sensing his mood, the dog whimpered and backed away from the house. The disgusting thing gave Xue Yang an idea as Xiao Xingchen knelt down to comfort the creature.

"Why don't you look after the puppy?" Xue Yang quickly asked. "I will try to find the man and then return here."

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen sighed. He sounded tired. Was it because of his wound, or the fact that he had not slept the night before, as Xue Yang had?

Giving Xiao Xingchen a small nod, Xue Yang walked away from the duo and went to the healer's house. He jumped up on the roof again and peered into the yard, ensuring it was empty. Only when he was satisfied that no one was ready to ambush him did he jump down, turning to face the back of the house. He unsheathed his sword and walked inside.

The healer wasn't home. The air inside the house smelled dusty, as if it had sat unused for some time. Though the place had been spotless that morning, everything was now covered in a thick layer of dust. Like the house they had just been to, this one seemed to have been abandoned. He looked around and found that the herbs he had taken had not been replenished. There was still a bloodstain on the floor from where he had hacked off her toe, though it was a dark, faded stain. Even the coins they had given her were still present in a dusty money box.

Xue Yang helped himself to the coins once more as he looked around, a feeling of unease nagging at him. Even if the healer had left town or just her house temporarily, there was no way such an amount of dust could have gathered in such a short time. He made his way into the kitchen. Waste not, want not, he thought as he raided the kitchen for food. There were seeds and some peanuts, which he helped himself to as he walked slowly around the house, contemplating.

This was the second abandoned house in town. It had clearly been abandoned for a while, yet it had been inhabited that very morning and the day before. The house did not possess any kind of evil presence and the healer had most certainly been among the living earlier. Curiouser and curiouser.

After going through the house again and not finding anything else that seemed to be out of place, he left and returned to Xiao Xingchen. The sky was once again getting dark early, though children continued to play on the streets. The Daozhang was sitting outside of the abandoned house, rubbing the puppy's belly. The puppy rolled its head to look at Xue Yang, giving him a toothy smile. He gave the puppy a glare in return.

"The strangest thing," Xue Yang began. "The house was completely abandoned when I arrived. Had been for months, just like this one."

He explained the state of the healer's house to Xiao Xingchen, disguising the location as the one belonging to the old man. Then they both rose and looked into the abandoned house behind them. As Xue Yang had begun to expect, there was nothing out of the ordinary with this house, either. It had been abandoned for months, aside from the fresh disturbances in the dust where he and Xiao Xingchen had disturbed it the night before. Something was very, very wrong with this house and the healer's house. What sort of monster could do this?

"I don't see anything," Xue Yang shook his head. He turned back to Xiao Xingchen, who was now holding the puppy and scratching its head. The puppy's tongue lulled out in happiness. "No markings, no talismans...nothing obvious to make this house any different from the other ones."

"We should go to the man's house and look at that one, too," Xiao Xingchen advised. Xue Yang shook his head.

"What's the point?" he retorted. "I already looked around and there's nothing exceptional about it. It is filled with dust, just as this one is. We should instead go find someone to talk to and find out when this house was abandoned. I have a feeling that it is not very long ago."

"We didn't ask that question before," Xiao Xingchen agreed. "Let's go ask a few people, then."

They went out together, Xiao Xingchen letting the puppy down from his arms. It ran around them, happily nosing its way into every corner and crevasse it could find out on the streets. Xue Yang looked around, noting the people on the street. No one was lounging in doorways or staring at them. A few children played a game in the street while every other adult seemed to have some job to do. Sweeping the porch, carrying large barrels of wine around, hawking wares, or generally bustling from place to place. The town did not seem to be very friendly.

"Excuse me," Xiao Xingchen interrupted a woman sweeping her porch. It was the same woman from the day before. Was she sweeping her porch again? "Could we ask you a few questions?"

The woman peered down at them, seeing dust-stained robes and bone-weary travelers. She frowned at them, as if they were about to ask her to house and feed them.

"Cultivators, eh?" she asked, her voice shrewd. "I suppose you'll be asking about the noises coming from the abandoned house down the street, then?"

"Yes," Xiao Xingchen agreed amiably. "How long has the house been abandoned?"

"Ah," the woman nodded, as if she appreciated the question. "Have you seen it? It looks as though it has been abandoned for months. But I swear to you, my son and his wife lived there not two weeks ago. Then then didn't and it looked as if they had been gone for months. The only thing left of them is their dog, moseying around in the trash every night. Then strange noises came from the house and everyone around town began getting nosebleeds...and then more people began to disappear!"

"That is...strange," Xiao Xingchen agreed. Xue Yang filed the information away for future consideration. They had gotten better, more whole answers, from this woman than they had from any other person they had spoken to the day before. Perhaps now it was because they were beginning to ask the correct questions.

"Of course it's strange!" the woman replied. "I'll even tell you what it is, too, making these strange things happen. It's the dust! It seems benevolent enough, but it creeps in from outside. Once it's in the house, it takes over. That's why I'm sweeping my porch, so the dust doesn't get in. Even my child have to leave their shoes outside to keep it from getting in!"

"The dust," Xiao Xingchen echoed. He was trying to keep the doubt from his voice, but Xue Yang had been around him enough to pick up on it.

"It's everywhere," the woman whispered, fear breaking through her voice.

"Thank you for your time," Xiao Xingchen replied. "We will leave first."

He gave the woman a short bow before turning and walking towards the next house. Xue Yang smirked and followed after him.

"The dust, huh?" he laughed. Still, he remembered how the dust had covered every inch of the healer's house, too. Perhaps it wasn't as far-fetched as first believed.

"Can a monster be made from dust?" Xiao Xingchen asked. A slight frown crinkled his forehead as he contemplated the circumstances under which such a thing would happen. Xue Yang shrugged and walked beside him, eyeing the puppy distastefully.

"Could it be an elemental instead?" Xue Yang suggested. "It is easy enough to happen if the dust is so rampant here. Perhaps it gained consciousness and became sentient."

"Elementals can only be created from living things," Xiao Xingchen replied.

They walked towards the teahouse slowly, stopping to question a few people along the way. Each person admitted that the abandoned house had been lived in just a few weeks earlier, but no one else suggested that dust might be the cause. Xue Yang kept glancing at the teahouse, yearning for a solid meal and hot tea. They had money now, though he couldn't tell Xiao Xingchen that. 

"We should find a place to rest for the night," Xue Yang finally decided. "Preferably someplace with actual tea and food."

"We do not have money for such things," Xiao Xingchen said. "Why don't we go to the next abandoned house and look for food there?"

"Where the man was?" Xue Yang asked. He knew that Xiao Xingchen would want to go there, just as he knew that the Daozhang would pick up on the fact that it was the healer's house from earlier. His senses were always uncanny in the worst possible moments. "Let's go, then. But let's sleep out in the courtyard so we have room to maneuver and I might be able to see if we are attacked."

Xiao Xingchen agreed to this and Xue Yang led him around to the healer's house in a circuitous fashion. Though the Daozhang had a good sense of direction, he did not know the town well enough to pick up the exact house they had arrived at. Perfect.

They had hardly stepped foot into the courtyard when Xiao Xingchen perked up and drew his sword. Xue Yang had been expecting such a reaction. Though the house was abandoned and covered in dust, the bloodstains in the courtyard were from that morning. This was where he had cut out the old hag's tongue.

"I smell blood," Xiao Xingchen announced. Xue Yang walked around the courtyard as if he were searching for the source of the scent. The damnable puppy ran straight for the congealed puddle on the ground and began lapping at it. There was a small piece of tongue still laying there. Or well...there had been. Xue Yang stared at the dog with a mix of surprise and amusement. What a disgusting animal, eating a human tongue like that!

"Whatever it was," he explained as he walked over to the dog and gave it a firm pet. "The dog just ate it. I didn't get a chance to see what it was, but it was small. It may have been a rabbit or squirrel."

"If that creature was here, perhaps it has already used the courtyard to feast," Xiao Xingchen thought aloud. "Though it was a creature of the dark and would likely hide during the daylight."

"It's no longer daylight," Xue Yang pointed out. "I'll check inside again and chase it out if it's inside. You should stay here and make sure it doesn't escape."

Xiao Xingchen nodded in agreement and Xue Yang went inside. The house was as he had left it earlier. He walked through the entire house before gathering up the old woman's bedroll and taking it outside.

"There's only one bedroll," he explained. "And nothing in the house. You rest here, I'll make some food. There's still rice in the kitchen."

He went inside and lit the stove, fanning the flames to a high intensity before mixing water and rice together. There were plenty of herbs in the house, allowing Xue Yang to flavor the rice as he wished. The Daozhang made all of the meals at their coffin house, but Xue Yang tried his hand at cooking while they were on night hunts. This was because Xue Yang was terrible at portions and whenever he tried to make enough for three people, he either made too much and wasted food, or not enough, leaving Xiao Xingchen to go hungry. While this had been amusing at first, it was far from practical. A fed Daozhang was a trusting Daozhang, and that trust had become more and more important to Xue Yang and his plans.

"Here," he said, bringing two bowls of rice outside to Xiao Xingchen. He glanced at the puppy, realizing the Daozhang would probably try to feed the mutt from his own dish. Hadn't the dog just eaten a tongue? What shameless behavior!

"I made rice," he continued, trying to ignore the dog. It whined and settled its head on Xiao Xingchen's knee. "Make sure you eat some yourself instead of feeding this yappy mutt."

The Daozhang smiled as he accepted the bowl of rice, but it was a strained smile. He hadn't slept in two days and the plums from that morning were long gone. No matter whether he was injured or not, Xiao Xingchen was in no shape to be fighting monsters that night. That wouldn't stop him from trying, though. It was admirable as well as stupid.

"He's not so bad," the Daozhang replied, reaching down to pet the puppy's head. Still, he ate a good portion of the rice before giving the rest of it to the puppy. Xue Yang rolled his eyes and ate all of his rice. The Daozhang's kind heart was far too predictable. He would have to fix that, somehow.

"We should leave him in the streets," Xue Yang replied. "It would be safer than being in a place like this, where monsters roam. For the dog, I mean."

Xiao Xingchen sighed, petting the dog's head as it ate. He didn't look happy to part with the animal and Xue Yang wondered if he had already given it a name in his head. Surely the Daozhang wouldn't want to keep the dog, would he?

"Perhaps the old woman from earlier would be kind enough to take him in tomorrow," Xiao Xingchen remarked. "For now, though, he should be safe enough in the courtyard with us."

Xue Yang sighed and gathered up the empty bowls. He took them inside and put them into the sink, not bothering to wash them. He made one more pass of the house as he grabbed more herbs and bandages, then returned to Xiao Xingchen's side.

"There were still a few of these herbs in the house," Xue Yang explained. "Let me look at your wound again."

It was full dark by then, so Xue Yang lit a lantern to see by. He carefully unpacked and cleaned the Daozhang's wound before wrapping it up again. It looked better than it had before, though the puncture marks from the creature's teeth were deep.

"Daozhang," he chided softly. "You need to take better care of yourself. The wound is deep and there are not many herbs left. Don't get bitten again tonight."

"I'm not planning on it," Xiao Xingchen replied, his lips twisting into a smile. "Put out the lamp and let us wait for the creature here. This time, we will strike first, regardless of how human it might look."

Xue Yang grinned and squeezed his good shoulder in response. Maybe he could get Xiao Xingchen to kill the dog while he was at it. Though to be honest, the dog wasn't as bad as he had first thought. Its fur was soft and it was warm and willing to share the warmth. Not that the warmth was needed in this heat, but the innocence of the puppy was rather nice.

In the end, Xue Yang ended up with the bedroll while the puppy slept beside it. Xiao Xingchen sat in the lotus position nearby, sword across his lap as he had the night before. Xue Yang yawned as he watched him meditate. There was no certainty that the monster would come there that night, or that the monster was at all involved in the disappearance of the healer and the abandonment of the house.

"Daozhang," he yawned. "Something has been bothering me. What happened to the inhabitants of these houses? They were suddenly abandoned like this with no warning, for no reason. There are not even any corpses to bury!"

"It has been bothering me, as well," Xiao Xingchen replied. "As has this entire village. We hardly turned on the road, yet we found ourselves back here. And though you took such an odd route to find this place, I am sure that we were here this morning. This is the home of the healer."

Ah, so he had noticed. Xue Yang was instantly on his guard.

"How could you tell?" he asked, his fingers seeking the hilt of his sword. He hadn't expected Xiao Xingchen to figure things out so neatly.

"It smells the same," Xiao Xingchen explained. "And my sense of direction is good. The herbs she named this morning are not commonly found in this area, so it was surprising that you were able to find some so quickly."

Xue Yang waited for Xiao Xingchen to continue, his eyes narrowing at the Daozhang.

"As a healer," the Daozhang continued, "she should have done better to make sure her patient stayed alive. I do not fault you for coming back to steal the medicine. It was wrong, but so was she. You must tell me, though...was the house like this originally when you returned, or did you do something to the healer yourself?"

"Why would I do anything to her?" Xue Yang retorted, still clutching his sword. He hadn't moved yet, watching Xiao Xingchen intently. "I came back to beg her for the medicine. It's embarrassing, having to do it in front of you. I thought perhaps if she wouldn't give it to me, I could simply take it. But when I got here, the house was already like this. I was so disconcerted that I made up an excuse to leave town."

"And when we returned, you had no choice but to let it be known what had happened here," Xiao Xingchen finished for him. Xue Yang stared at him guardedly. "Though I do not know your name, I already know that we sometimes differ between what we think is right and wrong. Because you were doing this for a friend, you thought that you were in the right. Two wrong things do not make a right thing. We have to find out what is happening to the people here and take care of it. That is the reason I go out on night hunts."

Xue Yang slowly released his sword as he realized that he was merely getting a lecture about right and wrong from the Daozhang. It was annoying, but it happened from time to time. Did Xiao Xingchen really think he was not capable or willing to murder the healer just to get medicine for him? Though Xue Yang had left her alive, there was nothing stopping him from killing her except his own whim. Things would have been easier if he had simply killed her, he told himself. Next time, perhaps.

"You were already injured," Xue Yang protested. "How can you blame me for trying to help you? Your purpose is to help people, but I come with you to watch over you. Too often you do not watch out for yourself and get taken advantage of. Daozhang, I will let you do your job, but I have to do mine, as well."

Xiao Xingchen yawned and seemed to let the topic die. Xue Yang relaxed back into the bedroll, watching the Daozhang with half-lidded eyes. The moon was beginning its decent at last, marking the middle of the night. No creature had yet appeared and the puppy slept soundly next to the bedroll.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang chided. Xiao Xingchen did not answer. "Daozhang, aren't you tired?"

"Are you trying to look after me again?" Xiao Xingchen replied. Xue Yang crawled out of the bedroll and over to his side.

"What if I am?" Xue Yang retorted. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I have already given you the bedroll," the Daozhang replied. "I will be fine here." Xue Yang smirked.

"You are not good enough to sleep sitting up like this," he challenged. "It's late and the creature has not yet shown its face. Lay down and let me keep watch for a while."

It was a testament to how exhausted he was that Xiao Xingchen merely nodded and without another word, turned to feel around for the bedroll. Xue Yang guided him over to it and held the covers out of the way for the Daozhang to slide in. Xue Yang slid in after him, pressing their bodies together on the thin mat.

"..."

Xue Yang smirked at Xiao Xingchen's silent reaction. Finally, the Daozhang sighed and relaxed his body without a word. Xue Yang wrapped an arm around him and guided Xiao Xingchen's head to his shoulder, being careful not to jostle his wound. It wasn't long before Xiao Xingchen's breathing evened out as he fell into sleep. Xue Yang was tired himself, but also did not want to be attacked unawares.

It was new for them to sleep this close together. It was one thing for Xue Yang to fall asleep on top of Xiao Xingchen and the Daozhang not wanting to wake him enough to move. It was quite another for Xue Yang to be the aggressor and offer to hold Xiao Xingchen in his sleep. It was a nice kind of different, though. It almost reminded him of when he had been ill a few night hunts ago and Xiao Xingchen had sat by his side until he was better again.

Despite his desire to stay awake, the heat of the bedroll and another body mixed with his own exhaustion and soon caused Xue Yang's eyes to slip shut once too often. He slept, his breath mingling with Xiao Xingchen's. It did not last long.

A low-throated canine growl awoke him and he opened his eyes to see the creature hovering over him. Those wide, dark, innocent-looking eyes were right in his face. Xue Yang didn't think. He grabbed Jiangzi and stabbed up into the creature's stomach. It lurched back with a squeal, its mouth opening to reveal far too many teeth. Xiao Xingchen began to pull away from him, awakened by the motion, as well.

Xue Yang left the Daozhang to get his bearings and without a spare thought towards him, leapt up and charged at the creature. It dodged him, causing Xue Yang to stumble. Xiao Xingchen's sword glare flashed above his head and the creature's head fell to the ground with a thud. The dog whimpered and stopped growling.

Breathing heavily, Xue Yang looked around and tried to get his bearings. The moon had already disappeared behind the mountain, leaving the sky dark and bright with only starlight. His lantern had gone out hours ago. The other lanterns in the courtyard creaked loudly in the wind, but otherwise there was no sound.

"It's dead," he explained to the Daozhang, finally turning to look at Xiao Xingchen. "Did you get enough sleep?"

It was such a mundane question, meant mainly to deflect Xiao Xingchen's obvious question of how Xue Yang allowed the creature to get so close if he was supposed to be keeping watch. He walked over to the creature and took a look at its head. It looked exactly like a boy, though its fangs were completely unnatural. It had been living when it had attacked them, which meant it was not a ghost nor monster. A demon, then. A demon child, no less. How very, very interesting. No matter its origins, it was likely attracted by whatever had happened to this house and the other one.

"I think I did," Xiao Xingchen replied. "What is it?"

"A very dead demon," Xue Yang murmured. He examined the body, finding the entry mark for the demon rather easily.

"What a shame," Xiao Xingchen replied. "We might have been able to exorcise him."

"And we might have gotten ourselves bitten again," Xue Yang retorted. He did not mention that the thing was merely a child. Xiao Xingchen had probably already picked that clue up when he was attacked the night before and if he hadn't...well, Xue Yang couldn't be faulted for his naivety.

Xiao Xingchen came over to examine the body as well, picking up first one arm and then the other as he looked for the demon mark himself. Xue Yang allowed it, instead picking up the head and making his own observations about the dead child. Such a corpse could be useful to have around, especially with those wide, innocent eyes.

"We should put the body back together," he mentioned casually. "And give it a proper burial."

Mainly so he could dig it back up again if he needed to. He worried that Xiao Xingchen would insist on cremating the body, since it had been used by an evil presence before. The corpse would be much more susceptible to being used by another spirit instead. Xue Yang was counting on that.

He searched thorough the house and found a sewing needle and some thread. He returned to find Xiao Xingchen scrubbing at his hands in a basin of water. The hands were red from the corpse's blood and the friction of rubbing them together so fiercely. Xue Yang set the needle and thread down and went over to Xiao Xingchen, placing a hand on his arm.

"Daozhang," he said.

He pulled a towel down from the clothes line and began to gently wash the blood from Xiao Xingchen's hands. Then he reached up and carefully wiped away the tears of blood that were creeping out from under his bandages. No words were exchanged between them as Xue Yang completed this ritual. Still, Xiao Xingchen's expression was one of distress and Xue Yang found himself unable to understand the cause of it.

"I do not want to be the type of person that kills before trying to save someone," Xiao Xingchen finally admitted. "Yet today...I lashed out without thinking. He could have been saved."

A sharp curl of delight snaked its way through Xue Yang, making him grin his canine smile. How ironic that this killing was not even planned by him, yet Xiao Xingchen still felt as though he had killed wrongly! The Daozhang was beginning to wizen up. First he had known that this was the healer's house and that Xue Yang had gotten the herbs from here. Then he had realized that the one he had just killed likely could have been saved, with some prudence. His white sleeves were soaked both literally and figuratively in blood and Xiao Xingchen was beginning to feel it.

Now might be a good time to exact his revenge, Xue Yang realized. He could admit that this wasn't the first time this had happened. He could tell Xiao Xingchen his identity and whom he had been working with for the past year. He could break the Daozhang now. But it would only be a small break, wouldn't it? There would be time enough for Xiao Xingchen to fix his mistakes, repent, and still be balanced on the edge of good by the time he died.

That wasn't good enough for Xue Yang. He wanted, no, _needed_ to own Xiao Xingchen absolutely. He wanted the man to be by his side, murdering demon children left and right with him. He wanted him in his bed every night and cooking meals for him every day. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to murder people and, covered in blood, turn to smile at him. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to know what he was doing, accept it, and keep doing those terrible, terrible deeds because they were _fun_. And he wanted him to know that _he_ , Xue Yang, was responsible for it. None of that would happen if he admitted the truth now.

"Sometimes," he started, keeping his tone earnest despite the smirk that couldn't seem to leave his face. "One needs to defend oneself, and the best defense is a good offense. Sometimes, it is more important that you continue to go out into the world and rid it of evil in whatever way you can than it is to try and save one life, one soul. Sure, every soul matters. But if you get so hurt you cannot fight or you even die from a single monster's attack, then the monsters and demons you could have been fighting will continue to prey upon others.

"So perhaps you saved this one person today, but in the process we were both severely hurt and bedridden for three weeks. In those three weeks, two other monsters that we would normally have fought would have killed more people. By sacrificing yourself, you hurt more people in the long run than if you had simply defended yourself in the best way possible."

Xue Yang's face was close to Xiao Xingchen's as he finished, his voice low and cajoling. He wanted the Daozhang to say yes, to understand his way of thinking. It was such a small step towards his total corruption of Xiao Xingchen. There were so many loopholes in his words. For instance, what if the Daozhang realized that this was only true if they went night-hunting all the time, instead of just sporadically? What if he rightfully blamed the deaths on the actual monsters that killed and terrorized people?

Except Xiao Xingchen was exhausted and emotional at the moment. He was probably craving the exact justification that Xue Yang so easily provided. As long as he didn't think too hard about it, Xue Yang was confident that Xiao Xingchen would accept his answer.

"That is...an enlightened way of thinking," Xiao XIngChen acknowledged. His voice was reluctant and it was clear that he was still thinking over Xue Yang's words. He was loathe to admit Xue Yang was right.

"But it does not sit well," the man admitted. His voice was strained. 

Xue Yang washed out the towel and wiped away the fresh tracks of blood left by tears. Xue Yang still did not understand why the Daozhang was so torn up about the loss of a demon. Trying to exorcise such a thing with only the two of them would have been suicide. A quick death for it was the best result.

"We are only two cultivators, you and me," Xue Yang pressed. "Exhausted, hungry, and wounded. Even yesterday when we were in better shape, the demon easily overcame both of us. For our own protection, we needed to suppress it immediately. In this case, that suppression happened to come at the end of a sword. It was only due to your quick thinking that we both came away unscathed a second time."

Xiao Xingchen was silent. Xue Yang wondered if perhaps he had said too much, pushed the Daozhang too far this time. Corrupting someone was such delicate, delicate work, and Xue Yang too often burst forth with his brightest blade before thinking things through completely. Such as the incident with the healer.

"Our work isn't done," Xue Yang reminded him. He let out a loud sigh, as if he were exhausted just thinking about the work they still needed to do. "Let's prepare the body for burial and get some breakfast. Afterwards, we will figure out what is happening to these people and causing the abandoned houses."

Xue Yang turned around to find the puppy gnawing on the dead demon's hand. He let out a sigh and stomped over to wave the dog away. Clearly the dog was hungry, too, but eating a corpse was just rude. Xue Yang was planning to use the boy for his own means, after all. He grabbed the needle and thread and got to work. 


	5. August: Part 3

A few hours later, Xiao Xingchen had dug a hole in the courtyard for the corpse of the boy. The corpse was once again whole, its head sewn on with the utmost care by Xue Yang. The hand was horrible mangled from the puppy's exuberant snack, however. There wasn't much Xue Yang could do about that.

Now that Xiao Xingchen knew that they were at the healer's home, Xue Yang let him have free access to the kitchen. There was a gruel cooking while they worked, with the Daozhang making enough to feed the puppy. Xue Yang washed his hands before sitting down to take a break and watch Xiao Xingchen shovel dirt into a pile. 

He should probably offer to help, he realized, since the Daozhang was injured. On the other hand, letting Xiao Xingchen sit back and think too much at that moment was dangerous. So he allowed the Daozhang to dig the grave and cook the gruel while he watched and glared at the dog. The thing had ruined a perfectly good corpse already.

Perhaps he should try to make the dog into a fierce corpse. He considered the possibilities. He had never tried to bring the ghost of an animal back before, and bringing a lovable, playful dog like this puppy back would be even harder. There was no resentment in the dog, so it would need to be called back for another reason. Worse, Xue Yang would have to try to empathize with the dog to try to bring it back. It sounded like a lot of work just for the novelty of having an undead dog around. Though at that point, Xiao Xingchen would be able to keep his puppy, but it would never grow old and it would never need to eat. 

Xue Yang spent the morning contemplating the pros and cons of killing the dog and then trying to bring it back. He ate his gruel and together with Xiao Xingchen, buried the corpse of the boy in the courtyard. Then it was time to investigate what had happened to the healer and the two houses. 

"We may be at a dead end," Xue Yang complained as they walked back to the original abandoned house. "Unless we accept that this is some sort of dust elemental and figure out a way to exorcise such a thing."

"We have spoken to many of the townspeople," Xiao Xingchen acknowledged. "And with only two houses affected, it is hard to know what caused this incidents. Both times, however, people have complained of nosebleeds and headaches caused by a strange sound within the house."

"That's right," Xue Yang murmured as a sudden realization set in. "Daozhang, the same people that heard the sound from the first house went to the healer for treatment, did they not? And then the healer's house made the sound. Perhaps we should find these people and question them again about the exact sounds they heard."

"That is a solid idea," Xiao Xingchen agreed. Together, they set out to find the townspeople connected to the two houses. They found Ling LanSu, one of the previous victims, lounging at the tea house and loudly complaining to his neighbors about the tragedy befallen his ears. 

"The healer couldn't do anything," Ling LanSu proclaimed. "Or claimed she couldn't! She said the nosebleed was a qi deviation and that I was lucky to be alive. And do you know how much that little prognosis cost me?"

"That's Healer SuShi for you!" his neighbor called. "Always with the grim words and spiteful tongue! You're lucky to have the clothes on your back, what with how much she charges!"

"Tell me about it!" Another neighbor agreed. "That woman!"

Xue Yang smirked, feeling validated in his decision to cut out the woman's tongue. He wondered how quickly she had disappeared and her house had become a dusty, abandoned husk after he had left. Was she able to leave long enough to warn anyone about him? Or had she disappeared entirely as soon as he had left? 

"There you are!" he announced boldly as he entered the teahouse. He sat down at the man's table, Xiao Xingchen following his lead. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"For me?" Ling LanSu echoed in surprise. "What a minute, you're those cultivators from the other day! Do you really think you can solve this problem for me? The noise is driving me nuts and what have you done so far? Nothing! Now even the healer has disappeared!"

"We noticed," Xue Yang replied, the smirk ever-present on his face. "We also noticed that this is the second person who has disappeared after you visited them. Why don't you explain that to us?"

A waiter hurried over and poured he and Xiao Xingchen tea. Xue Yang took a cup for himself and took a careful sip. Bold of them to assume that he had money to pay for the tea. Even though he had taken his coins back from the healer's house, he wouldn't spare them on this place. His host could pay the bill after he explained himself. 

"Explain it to you?" the man sputtered, upset. "What is there to explain! I heard a noise and then I went to the healer! Then she disappeared!"

"Why don't you tell us about the last inhabitant of that house and how they disappeared?" Xiao Xingchen spoke up. "It wasn't that long ago, was it? They were living in that house less than two weeks ago."

The man stared at them in surprise. It was obvious that he had known this, but felt it was not relevant to the discussion. 

"Disappeared?" he sputtered. "Good riddance to filth! Those people couldn't take care of themselves, of their house! What a drain on our society, our town!" Around them, the other men agreed with this assessment. 

"The mother! Always begging for food on the streets!" the first man continued. "And the husband just gambling anyway any penny they owned! We tried to stop gambling with him because he could not afford the bets, but do you know what happened? He left town and went to another one! Came home once with trinkets for everyone, as if those trinkets could pay for his debts!"

The other men in the room agreed loudly and the waiter came by to refill their tea and wine cups. Xue Yang leaned in, suddenly interested. Trinkets to an ordinary person might mean something completely different to a cultivator. 

"What kind of trinkets?" he asked smoothly. 

Xiao Xingchen drank his tea and did not get involved in the conversation. They already knew that Xue Yang was the charismatic one, while most people dismissed Xiao Xingchen simply because he was blind. It was a sad fact that many people did not realize the worth of a disabled person. To an older woman, Xiao Xingchen was charming, polite, and perfect to talk to. At wine and tea houses, however, Xue Yang fit in with the populace much better. 

"Worthless ones!" Ling LanSu claimed. "Not even made of real gold! They were made of steel and stone and looked like some kind of amulet!"

"Said they were created by the Yiling Patriarch!" another man claimed. Others around him nodded in agreement. Xue Yang raised his eyebrow, all the more intrigued. 

"If they were so worthless," Xue Yang claimed, "then what did you do with them? Surely you didn't throw them into the rubbish!"

"Of course we did!" One man to the left claimed. "Threw them away and threatened to burn down his house! The next day, though, he and his entire family was gone, no trace of them left! We went into the house and it was covered in dust as if they hadn't been there in months!"

"That's what happened to the healer's house!" Another man chimed in. "Just yesterday, in fact! I heard her cursing up a storm--which as you know means it is not safe to be in the area for fear of her wrath, but then it suddenly stopped. When I went to get my medicines from her later that day, her house was also abandoned and covered in dust!"

"How peculiar!" said Ling LanSu. 

"How strange indeed!" Xue Yang chimed in, leaning towards the man in front of him. "How did you know about that? I haven't heard anything about the healer disappearing! It's such a shame, too...you may have need of her soon!"

"Friend," Xiao Xingchen interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Xue Yang shrugged his hand off and smirked at the man in front of them. 

"Where did you dump the trinkets?" Xue Yang demanded. "Tell me quickly and we might be able to fix these things that have happened. You do need a healer, don't you? Even one as sharp-tongued as she."

Well, not so sharp-tongued now, but no one bothered to contradict him on that. Apparently no one here had seen the healer after he had been done with her. That was only a blessing, in a way. Who knew what trouble they would run into if someone knew what he had done? And on top of that, what would Xiao Xingchen think? He had glazed over what he had done the night before, but these men were capable of putting and end to that quickly if they knew the truth. 

"Yes, yes, you make a good point," the men all agreed. 

"Then we will take you to the rubbish heap!" the men all declared. All except for Ling LanSu, who looked flustered and offended. 

"Why don't you take me?" Xue Yang smirked, looking Ling LanSu up and down. "Unless you have secretly been hiding such a trinket from everyone else?"

"Why would I do that?" the man retorted. "They are nothing but junk! Why do you even want to find the rubbish heap onto which we threw them? It has been weeks! They were buried and cannot now be found!"

"Then you won't mind showing up this rubbish heap," Xue Yang pointed out. 

Xiao Xingchen sipped his tea, not saying a word. The Daozhang was especially coy today when it came to talking to villagers, he realized. Was this another test for Xue Yang? After his sudden perceptiveness the night before, Xue Yang was leery of what Xiao Xingchen was actually observing from underneath that blindfold. He was unsure what to make of the Daozhang's sudden forgiveness and understanding. It seemed too easy to him, as if the Daozhang might turn around and reveal that he knew of Xue Yang's identity all along.

Ling LanSu walked them out to the rubbish heap, a mound of dirt and filth that nearly reached the tops of the trees and smelled worst than thirty dead corpses rotting under the sun. He was actually thinking that there might be a corpse or two in here, and wouldn't it be nice if he brought them back and made them do the dirty work? Not with Xiao Xingchen standing beside him, though. There were some things he was not prepared for the perceptive Daozhang to figure out.

He spent the day with two of the townsfolk, sorting through the rubbish heap for the trinkets they had all thrown away. Two of the four were found by the time the sun had sank behind the mountains. At this point, Xiao Xingchen had already spoken with most of the townspeople while Xue Yang dirtied his hands. Xue Yang didn't call off the search officially so much as wash in a barrel of cold water and leave the other men digging through the wastes without a word. 

He found Xiao Xingchen in the healer's house, rewrapping his shoulder with a fresh bandage. He sat the trinkets on the table and watched Xiao Xingchen's nose wrinkle slightly. 

"I found two of these in the rubbish heap," Xue Yang explained. "They're clearly amulets, not trinkets. I don't think it's a question that these are what's plaguing the town."

"That makes sense," Xiao Xingchen said. He reached over and picked up each amulet, carefully guiding his fingers over them. Xue Yang watched in fascination as his fingers slid down the smooth wood of one, his jaw falling open slightly at the sight. Xiao Xingchen's exploring touches were cautious and delicate, yet they told him so much. 

"I'm going to take a bath," Xue Yang suddenly announced. "And wash my clothes. I'm covered in rotten vegetables and dirt."

They hadn't found any corpses in the rubbish heap, sadly. He would have loved to bring them back while everyone was asleep to keep digging through. Anything to avoid soiling his clothes again. 

"I will wash your clothes while you bathe," Xiao Xingchen offered, rising from the table. "I already need to wash mine, as well." Though he had rinsed the sleeves of his outer robes that morning, the once-white outer robe was discolored from where the demon boy's blood had spattered onto it. It hadn't been enough for the townsfolk to realize what it was, but Xue Yang's knowledge of the stain's origin let a twist of lust creep through his body every time he saw it. He supposed that was why Xiao Xingchen had been so silent at the tea house earlier; he must have noticed the difference in texture on his robes.

Xue Yang found two basins and filled them with water to bathe and water to wash clothes with. He thought nothing of stripping naked before Xiao XIngChen, dropping his clothes into the wash tub before climbing into the steaming bath. Seeing as how the healer's house was stocked with more things that they needed such as food and medicine, they had made that house their base camp for now.

Flowering herbs floated in the water around him, drowning out the stench of the rubbish heap and days of old sweat and grime. It was a luxurious bath in terms of what he usually had, and Xue Yang was set on enjoying it. Ten minutes later, however, the water had begun to cool and he was bored with playing in the scented water. The sloshing of water in the other room told him that Xiao Xingchen was still in the midst of washing their clothes. 

Xue Yang settled his head on his fist and let out a sigh, flicking a flower away as it floated close to his chest. Making Xiao Xingchen wash his dirty laundry was satisfying, in a way, but it didn't come close to the sort of revenge he truly wanted. He could live like a king with the Daozhang as his servant, but it still wouldn't be enough. Xiao Xingchen must be _only_ his and no one else's. The Daozhang was so gentle that he would have offered to do anyone's laundry, wouldn't he? It wasn't that he was a dog that Xue Yang could control, but rather that a dog controlled by anyone at all. That wouldn't do. 

Speaking of dogs, Xue Yang suddenly realized that he hadn't seen the mutt around anywhere since he had returned. He lifted his head from his hand and looked around just to make sure. The sloshing of water from the other room met his ears. 

"Daozhang," he called out. "Where did the puppy run off to?"

Hopefully far, far away from here, if there was any luck to be had. The sloshing of water continued, followed by the sounds of dripping as the clothes were removed from water and wrung out. 

"He will come back if needs to," Xiao Xingchen replied. "They are smart animals."

"You're not afraid something will happen to it?" Xue Yang called out. He sunk down into the tub until his shoulders were covered by the cooling water. For a moment, only the sounds of Xiao Xingchen's labors reached his ears.

"Not everyone and everything can be protected from life," the Daozhang finally replied. "The supernatural threat to the puppy has been eliminated, so only the natural ones remain. I do not think that whatever is happening to people and causing the houses to become abandoned will harm him."

It was a surprising view for the Daozhang, who always seemed to want to get involved into things that were not his business. The entire day he had been acting strangely, Xue Yang thought. Was it because he had suddenly killed the demonic child, or was he simply testing Xue Yang again? OR did a simple stain on his sleeve really trouble him so? He fell silent, listening to the methodic rhythms of Xiao Xingchen's work. 

"Your robes are drying," the Daozhang finally announced. Xue Yang left the water then, wrapping himself in a warm towel and strolling into the room. Xiao Xingchen was similarly clothed as he laid out his own clothes to dry. 

"Then you can have the bathwater," Xue Yang replied, a smirk on his face. His eyes ran down the graceful shoulder blades of the Daozhang, desire stirring within him. Here was the perfect place, but it was still not the perfect time. Something held Xue Yang back from putting moves on the Daozhang. 

Xiao Xingchen might not be able to see Xue Yang's naked form, but he was aware that Xue Yang could see him. Even wrapped in a towel, his modesty was compromised. If Xue Yang approached him now, it might damage the trust between them. He needed to approach only when Xiao Xingchen was comfortable in his shield of clothing. Only then could Xue Yang have the pleasure of watching the shield be removed purposefully, willingly. 

"Daozhang," he couldn't help call out as Xiao Xingchen left the room. "Do you want me to help you wash your hair?"

And so it was with fingers trembling from excitement that Xue Yang sat beside Xiao Xingchen and carefully washed the long brown hair while the Daozhang displayed his nakedness before him. How far could he push the Daozhang, who seemed so comfortable with Xue Yang's ministrations? 

The bandage was off, allowing Xue Yang to gaze upon closed eyelids that held nothing at all inside of them. He tangled his fingers in Xiao Xingchen's hair, combing through the wet strands. Xue Yang was not a gentle person. He was bold and arrogant, though at times he could be meticulous, when he really tried. This was one of those times where he forced himself to slow down and savor the closeness that Xiao Xingchen gave him. He swept his fingers across the Daozhang's forehead as he pulled the hair back to rinse it. 

A small thought niggled in the back of his mind that this wasn't what he had said he wanted before. Was it really revenge, to wash his enemy's hair for him? Was it revenge to be as gentle as Xue Yang was capable of being when he did so?

 _Shut up,_ he told the thought. _This is only so he can trust me. How can I have true revenge without trust?_

But the thought remained, worrying at him. This wasn't revenge. It still excited him. At least it was fun. Xiao Xingchen didn't know that the person so close to him, being so gentle to him, was Xue Yang, his mortal enemy. What a dumb, naive idiot, to trust a stranger whose name he didn't know. 

Xue Yang couldn't help but trail his fingers over Xiao Xingchen's cheek, watching as the Daozhang leaned into the touch. It was a positive sign, but still Xue Yang wouldn't dare touch Xiao Xingchen further. 

_If he wants it, he should come and get it._

Xiao Xingchen neither mentioned his stray touches, nor reached out to touch him in return. Xue Yang wavered for a moment before returning to caress the dark locks in his hands. One day, Xiao Xingchen would beg for Xue Yang to touch him. It was perhaps a fool's errand to think that the upright Doazhang could be swayed so easily. 

Afterwards, they dressed in dry clothes and Xiao Xingchen returned a clean bandage to his eyes. Xue Yang watched him put it on with something like disappointment. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to have eyes again, to look at him with their gentle, bright darkness and know, accept Xue Yang as he was. He wanted the Daozhang to still be his in every way, knowing exactly how far he had fallen. What an idiot, to give both eyes away so freely. 

"Daozhang," he said as he tied his belt. "You look much nicer now that you're clean."

"And you smell much nicer," Xiao Xingchen returned, his lips alighting into a smile. There was no judgment in his voice. "Let's talk a look at these amulets again."

"There should be two more," Xue Yang explained as they walked back to the table and sat down. "Looking at these, they have a variety of uses. This one has markings painted on it that symbolize water, and this one has markings that symbolize fire. It looks like they have something to do with elementals or elemental control."

"So the other two must refer to earth and air," Xiao Xingchen finished for him. "Do you think an earth elemental would cover everything in dust?"

"Do you think an earth elemental could turn bodies to dust?" Xue Yang returned, his voice suddenly solemn as things began to click into place. The headaches and nosebleeds were common symptoms of air changes at high altitudes. If an earth and an air elemental worked together...things began to make sense.

"Someone must have the amulets together, to attack the same people," Xiao Xingchen agreed. "The first house was attacked because the man there owed another debts. And this house must have been attacked because of the same person's feelings towards the healer."

"Or perhaps the victim is the man we spoke to earlier today, Ling LanSu," Xue Yang argued. "Because the healer helped him, she was then attacked by the earth elemental."

Xue Yang ran his hand through the dust on the table, smirking as he thought of what it was really made of. This was even better than grave dirt. Could he summon a spirit back to inhabit the dust? Or better yet, could he make a new, improved form of corpse poison with it? It would be relatively simple to gather some of the dust under Xiao Xingchen's nose so he could later experiment with it.

"Perhaps we should visit Ling LanSu once more," Xiao Xingchen advised. "In the morning."

"In the morning," Xue Yang agreed, his teeth poked out of his smile. Things were coming together quite nicely, in fact. Xiao Xingchen cooked their meal that night while Xue Yang watched the movements of the Daozhang in the kitchen. He really was so hardworking, and right now it was all for Xue Yang. If given a choice, the Daozhang would have skipped dinner since they had already eaten once that day. 

His revenge was unconventional and long-term, but it _was_ revenge.


	6. August: Part 4

Xue Yang awoke in the morning to find Xiao Xingchen’s arms wrapped around his own, his chest pressed to Xue Yang’s back as he snored slightly. Xue Yang looked down, realizing with a sense of dread how close Xiao Xingchen had come to touching his four-fingered hand in his sleep. He stayed in his position as he thought through the various options. Xiao Xingchen curling up to him in their shared bedroll was a positive sign as far as the Daozhang coming to Xue Yang. Accidentally finding out that he was one finger shy of a normal person would not be such as positive thing.

Xue Yang slowly turned, dragging his arm out from Xiao Xingchen’s grasp. He stared at the Daozhang’s sleeping form, his even breathing and the way his lips hung open slightly. Even without eyes, his Daozhang was striking in appearance. He sometimes wondered if he had appreciated his form this much when they were in Koi Tower, when his Daozhang was arguing for his punishment. He thought he might have been too annoyed with him, then, to properly appreciate the beauty that was the Daozhang, inside and out.

He spent far too long with these thoughts. Telling himself that there were merely thoughts of a proud owner of a slave, he reached up and dragged two of his fingers along Xiao Xingchen’s cheek. A hand reached up to clasp around his wrist. 

“You keep finding new ways to awaken me,” the voice replied, sleepy but conscious. There was a smile on Xiao Xingchen's face. “Was I not up far longer than you?”

It was a cold, gray day that had dawned. Without the sunlight present to awaken them, it was already growing late. Their sleep had been undisturbed, by monster or by puppy. Xue Yang was relieved. Between the food, baths, clean clothes, and undisturbed sleep, he felt as if they could finally finish this night hunt and go back to Yi City again. Back to the annoying Little Blind, sure, but at least there would also be leisurely days with plenty of food and a place to sleep that wasn’t a bedroll in a courtyard.

“How would I know how much longer you were up past me?” Xue Yang retorted, pulling his wrist away from the Daozhang. “Come on, let’s solve this thing.”

They visited Ling LanSu, as they had said they would. Surprisingly, he seemed to be in a good mood that day. Alarm bells clanged in Xue Yang’s head.

“Yes yes, come in, come in,” the man invited them with a sloppy bow. “How fortunate you cultivators are here! How fortunate indeed!”

Xue Yang looked cautiously around the house as he took in as many details as possible. For a supposed victim, this man was turning out to be rather unscathed. His house was immaculate, his wife was courteous and already fetching them tea, and he had at least one child playing in the street outside. This man did not look like the victim of an Earth Elemental. 

Xiao Xingchen was in rare form that morning, asking the man questions upon questions about the amulets and where the previous debtor might have gotten them. Xue Yang played with his teacup, bored. The man clearly didn’t know anything about the amulets' origins, nor did he seem to have any obvious enemies. He did have a grudge against the healer, but so did many people of the town that could not afford her steep rates. 

“And what happened to the amulet you had before?” Xiao Xingchen was asking. 

“I threw it in the rubbish heap, like I said,” Ling LanSu reiterated. 

Xue Yang listened with half a mind as he watched the child playing outside suddenly fall on the ground, hands covering his years and mouth dropping open into a soundless scream. Before he could fully process what may have caused such a reaction, a wall of sound hit him, as well. His ears rang as the pressure inside of his head increased. Instinctively, he put his hands up to his ears to stop the sound. 

He tried to scream a warning. It was already too late. Xiao Xingchen was affected the same as he was. The white-robed figure was on the ground, mouth open in an unheard scream as blood trickled out from his ears. Then Xue Yang lost consciousness and knew no more. 

His head pounded as he awakened for the second time in a few hours. His vision was slightly blurry and he blinked to clear it. He was in a dark room, perhaps a cellar of some sort. Xiao Xingchen was also in the room, limbs outstretched but body crumpled, as if he had been forcibly thrown into the room. Xue Yang slowly sat up and looked around for clues to their whereabouts. It seemed that, for now, their captors had left them alive and relatively unharmed. 

He reached into his sleeve, finding the amulet still safely buried between arm guard and fabric. One of them, anyway. It had been safer to split the two between them, which meant Xiao Xingchen also carried one of the amulet. He crawled over to the Daozhang, shaking his shoulder. 

“Daozhang,” he whispered. “Daozhang!”

Xiao Xingchen stirred, but did not appear to awaken. Rage flowed through Xue Yang as he looked down at the crumpled body. Xiao Xingchen was _his_. His to hurt, his to torment and deceive, his to own. No one was going to survive this incident. Xue Yang stood up, leaving the side of the Daozhang to search for a door. He found one, locked from the outside with a bar across the door. Xue Yang removed the amulet he carried and gripped it tightly. He had chosen the fire talisman, feeling that water better represented Xiao Xingchen. Now he just had to figure out how to use it. 

If an ordinary person could figure out how to use one, he could, too. It took a few minutes of guessing based on his previous experience with such things. The end of the amulet burst into flame. The flame died quickly and the amulet began to emit sparks. As they fell against the wooden door, the sparks caught and ignited, turning it into a wall of flame. But it didn’t spread outside of the door. Xue Yang smirked. 

“This is the easiest fire I’ve ever set,” he commented to the sleeping Daozhang. Xiao Xingchen didn’t move. 

Xue Yang shoved the amulet back into its hiding placed before he kicked at the door, burnt wood flying apart under the pressure of his attack. Xue Yang glanced back at Xiao Xingchen and decided to leave him there. He was in no danger, as it were. The people that had trapped them down here could not say the same. 

A staircase erupted from the floor and led up into the street. Xue Yang looked around, but the place was deserted and dusty. He walked down the street, eyes darting back and forth as he watched for an ambush. There was none. He darted down an alley and stopped just short of the main street. Nothing looked out of place, with children still playing in the street and merchants still hawking their wares. Xue Yang waited and watched for signs of an ambush, but none came. He turned and disappeared back down the alley. 

Slowly, he made his way over to Ling LanSu's house. As expected, it was abandoned and covered in dust, with no sign of the previous inhabitants. Well, that wasn't true. He gathered some of the dust into a pouch, the remains of Ling LanSu's wife and possibly child. Xue Yang walked through the house slowly, looking for clues. Who could be doing this? Air and Earth…whoever it was must have two of the amulets. 

Xue Yang found Jiangzi and Shuanghua discarded near the table where he and Xiao Xingchen had left them. He picked up the swords and walked out of the house. Someone had bothered to drag him and Xiao Xingchen away before the Earth elemental had split the inhabitants to dust. But whom? Their leads had all dried up.

He stalked back to the cellar where Xiao Xingchen was being held. The best thing to do now, he supposed, was to wait for the culprit to return for them. The Daozhang was just beginning to stir when he arrived. 

“Daozhang,” Xue Yang said as he returned. “I have your sword.”

“Where are we?” Xiao Xingchen groaned as he sat up and accepted the sword. 

“A cellar of some sort,” Xue Yang replied. He took the time to explain the surroundings to Xiao Xingchen. “Perhaps we can find out what happened or some other clue if look at the house above.”

“Perhaps,” Xiao Xingchen nodded. He pushed himself up with his sword and began to walk towards the doorway. “I would like to know what happened to cause us to pass out like that.”

“An air elemental,” Xue Yang explained. “Whoever has the earth amulet must also have the air amulet. I went back to Ling LanSu's house, but it has been abandoned, as well.”

“You had time to go back to the house before waking me?” Xiao Xingchen frowned, but climbed the steps before them and emerged out into the street. Xue Yang followed and looked around once more, but the street was still deserted. It was unnerving, not knowing who held the two amulets. 

“We have the name of the men who held the amulets,” Xue Yang replied. “If nothing turns up here, we will track them down and find answers that way.”

Together, they walked around the building. The entrance was on the north side. Xue Yang slid the door open to reveal yet another empty house, though this one was not covered in dust as he had expected. Instead, the place was immaculately neat, as if it was kept up but not lived in. Xue Yang prowled through the house, eyes sweeping from left to right, as Xiao Xingchen followed him. 

Xiao Xingchen grabbed his arm as they neared a door, pressing his finger to his lips. Xue Yang frowned and listened. There was a rustling inside, as if people were in there. He neared the door, watching Xiao Xingchen remove his sword from its scabbard. When he saw the Daozhang was ready, he flung the door open. 

Inside was the man from the tea house, the same man they had visited that morning. The same man that had been attacked in his own home. Ling LanSu. Xue Yang drew his sword as well, eyes narrowing as he called out the man’s name. He saw Xiao Xingchen’s hand tighten on the hilt of his sword. 

“So you’ve found me,” Ling LanSu smirked. The puppy from before lay at his feet, tail wagging. It looked bigger than it had that morning. Xue Yang narrowed his eyes at the creature. "I wasn't sure you cultivators were smart enough to see through the intricacies of my plan."

"Intricacies?" Xue Yang retorted. "What was intricate about this? You stole two of the amulets from the rubbish heap and have been using them to get revenge against those you have a grudge against!"

The man began to have a conniption. "You simplify it too much! You do not realize my grand scheme!"

"Your grand scheme of wiping out this town, house by house?" Xiao Xingchen asked. His voice was the sharp rays of moonlight piercing the clouds. Something in his voice made the blood surge within Xue Yang, exciting him. He felt the smirk lift his lips, canines showing through. 

"Yes!" the man exclaimed. "And...no!" 

He huffed, changing his grip on the amulet he held in his hand. Suddenly, the door shut behind them with a click and once again, Xue Yang felt the pressure grow in his head. It was the air amulet! Xue Yang reached out with his sword, but pulled back quickly as Xiao Xingchen charged forward. 

The man's hand plopped neatly on the ground and the pressure began to shrink away from Xue Yang's head. He reached forward and took the amulet out of the hand, ignoring the high-pitched scream of the man as he bled profusely. 

"We need to create a tourniquet for the wound," Xiao Xingchen told Xue Yang. He began to bind the man's sleeve around his arm to cut off the blood flow. Xue Yang could only stare in fascination as the blood squirted and stained the Daozhang's white robes. 

The dog let out a low warning growl, on its feet now and bearing its teeth at Xiao Xingchen. Xue Yang reached his blade forward and placed it under the mutt's neck. If it moved forward to hurt Xiao Xingchen, it would slice itself in half. This was actually the preferable option, in his opinion. If the dog died, they wouldn't have to take it home and feed it. If it died now, it would be because the mutt was attacking the Daozhang and Xue Yang would be acting to save his life. He put more pressure on the blade, watching the dog snarl and begin to back away. 

"Good dog," he breathed as it turned its menacing glare on him. Those teeth were sharp and white, saliva dripping off of them. Did they seem longer than normal for a dog, or had it just been some time since one had dared to bear its fangs at Xue Yang?

The dog snarled, Xiao Xingchen bundled up an arm with now-sopping rags, the man screamed and yelled, trying to jerk his arm away from the Daozhang. The scene was beyond chaotic, but it was the type of chaos Xue Yang lived for. He reached into sleeve for the fire amulet once more. It lit quickly this time, emitting a flurry of sparks. The dog whimpered and backed away again. The rug underneath them caught on fire. 

Xue Yang used a boot to snuff out the flames before they grew too quickly out of control. To his left, Xiao Xingchen turned his head in Xue Yang's direction. 

"I smell fire," he said, his words terse. "Let's get this man back to the healer's house quickly. Bring the dog."

Xue Yang looked at the dog, once more growling at him now that the flames had gone out. He should have set the entire building on fire, he thought snidely. Xiao Xingchen looped the man's remaining arm around his shoulders and began to drag him from the room. 

_There's something wrong with the dog,_ Xue Yang thought to himself as he tried to keep his sword between it and Xiao Xingchen. 

He backed out of the room after the Daozhang, closing the door behind him. The dog slammed itself against the door repeatedly, growling and snarling from the other side. 

"We can not leave the dog to burn," Xiao Xingchen said from behind him. 

"I already put the fire out," Xue Yang protested. "The dog is safe in the room. Daozhang, it wants to bite you. Don't you think that's strange for a puppy that liked you so well just a day ago?"

"It's the same one?" Xiao Xingchen asked. "Then I suppose we know who its master is. Let's take care of this man first and come back for the dog. But only if you're sure there's no fire."

"You can probably smell the fire fading," Xue Yang replied. "Go back to the healer's house. I will make sure the fire is completely out and if it is not...I will save your dog."

He had no intention of doing such as thing. As soon as Xiao Xingchen was far enough away, he would burn this building to the ground. The Daozhang only nodded and headed back to the healer's house. There was another thud on the door, followed by a yelp and silence. Xue Yang turned back to the door, a smirk on his face. Should he set the building aflame just like this? Or should he open the door and give the mongrel a fighting chance?

The question came down to what he could get away with when it came to Xiao Xingchen. If the mutt burnt up in the building, he would no doubt blame Xue Yang. So...a fighting chance it was. Xue Yang lit the fire amulet once more and opened the door. 

The dog was laying by the threshold peacefully, its big brown eyes staring up at him. Xue Yang scowled and stepped around the dog. He let the sparks drip down on the rug, catching it aflame once more. Once then did he turn and leave the room with the door standing wide open. Whatever the dog did now, it wasn't really his fault, was it? He gave the mongrel a fighting chance, after all. 

A quick search of the house revealed nothing of value within it, which was disappointing. Xue Yang kept the doors open as he left the house, allowing the mutt to follow if it needed to. A thin wisp of smoke leaked from the top of the house as he strolled away, a smirk on his lips. 

It had been a very decent day so far. They had recovered all but the earth amulet, Xue Yang had gotten a chance to act out as he had been aching to do, and Xiao Xingchen thought that he was staying behind to save a dog. Apart from the splitting headache he seemed to have from the numerous attacks from the air amulet, nothing untoward had really happened. Xue Yang walked by Ling LanSu's first house and set a small fire in the corner of the house, as well. This was a very fun amulet to play with, he mused as he made his way back to the healer's house. 

Xiao Xingchen had already wrapped Ling LanSu's arm in more bandages by the time Xue Yang arrived. He set the fire amulet and the air amulet down on the table as he observed the two. 

"Has he said anything?" Xue Yang asked. Xiao Xingchen shook his head with a sigh. 

"There was a lot of blood," the Daozhang explained. "He will need some time to recover."

"And the earth amulet?" Xue Yang pressed. 

"It's not on him," Xiao Xingchen replied. "So there is another player at work here, or he hid it somewhere."

"Where would he hide it?" Xue Yang had barely uttered the words when he realized that he already knew the answer...and Xiao Xingchen probably had, too. "The _dog_?"

The next several hours consisted of Xue Yang running around the small village in search of a particular dog that he had been so eager to get rid of just a while ago. The irony, of course, was that the dog seemed nowhere to be found. The first building and the man's home had burnt terribly, with nothing the townspeople could do to put it out. Curiously enough, the fire didn't spread to the houses next door, but only consumed the two houses owned by Ling LanSu.

On a whim, Xue Yang found himself at the first abandoned house where they had been attacked by the demon child. The house itself was empty. If he looked out the window, however, he could see his prize in the backyard. The puppy lay in the middle of the yard, head on its paws as if it were waiting for its master to return. 

"Stupid mutt," he muttered as he walked out the door and into the yard. "Is this where your master actually is, where you originally came from?" The puppy wagged its tail, but kept its head on its paws. 

"I bet you're supposed to be guarding that last amulet, am I right?" Xue Yang muttered darkly as he approached the dog. "And it was easy enough to send you into the houses after the people were dead and wiped out from the air talisman. You cleaned up the mess, didn't you?"

The dog watched him with eager eyes, tail flapping from side to side as its jaws lulled open to reveal those gleaming, white teeth. Teeth that had been all too eager to eat a human tongue and a human hand. An amulet that turned people to dust, given to a dog that ate human flesh. 

Xue Yang bared his own teeth to the dog, hand resting on his sword. The dog certainly didn't look ready to attack, and since it currently held the earth amulet somewhere, he wasn't willing to attack the dog until the amulet was safe in his hand. 

"Come on, mutt," he nodded his head. "Let's go get the Daozhang to find out where this amulet is, huh?" 

As if it understood, the puppy stood up and followed him back to the healer's house. The sun had set by this time and people had begun to light lanterns on the street. Xue Yang ignored them and guided the mutt back. He couldn't help but glare at the thing. He needed to figure out a way for Xiao Xingchen to get rid of it on his own terms. Killing it would be best, but it wasn't exactly the Daozhang's style...yet.

By the time he returned, Xiao Xingchen had already washed the blood from his clothes and made a light dinner from the healer's remaining rations. The dog gave out a small woof in greeting and pushed its head up against Xiao Xingchen's hand. The Daozhang laughed and gave the mutt some of the rice he had made. The dog lapped it up happily. 

"That dog was going to attack you just a few hours ago," Xue Yang complained. "Why should it change its mind now?"

"Either it was under the control of that man," Xiao Xingchen nodded to the man, still fainted away on the bed, "or the exceptional violence in the room acted on it. This dog may simply be attuned to various energies, possibly as a result of the amulet."

Xue Yang scowled and grabbed his own bowl of rice porridge, wishing it were sweet instead of spicy. Xiao Xingchen played with the puppy after it ate. Xue Yang watched as the Daozhang rubbed its belly, patted its head, and ran his fingers along its sides and tail. The puppy loved it, rolling over to beg for more scratches. Xiao Xingchen obliged. Xue Yang turned his attention to the other enemy in the room instead.

Ling LanSu was pale and passed out from blood loss. Xue Yang looked back at Xiao Xingchen to make sure he wasn't paying attention before leaning over the man to look for weaknesses. He loosened the tourniquet tied around the man's arm, watching with satisfaction as blood began to leak out of the wound once more and over the table. Then he returned to eat his meal, a smirk on his face. 

"The amulet appears to be inside of the puppy," Xiao Xingchen added at last. "I'm not entirely sure how to remove it without hurting the dog."

Xue Yang wanted to ask why he was so worried about hurting it. He was perfectly capable of filleting the thing and removing the amulet himself. He was also sure that there was no way to convince the Daozhang to allow him to do such a thing. 

"Are you suggesting we take it with us?" he smirked, though this time his tone was one of disbelief. 

"That appears to be the best solution," Xiao Xingchen agreed. 

"Its master was one of the people in the first abandoned house," Xue Yang protested. "Wouldn't removing it from its master be too cruel? Should we not lock it away inside that house so it does no one else harm?"

"Who will feed it and take care of it if we do such a thing?" Xiao Xingchen asked pointedly.

"How about the dust lady?" Xue Yang smirked. "Since she's so concerned that the dust doesn't take her family, surely she would be willing to shoulder her own weight. For the good of the village, of course."

"Of course," Xiao Xingchen agreed. 

And so it was that in the morning, Xue Yang checked the dead man's pulse and told Xiao Xingchen Ling LanSu was fine. They placed the dog back into the yard of the abandoned house with a bowl of rice and a bowl of clean water. Then they went down the street to speak with the neighbor, who was of course more than willing to take care of Ling LanSu and the dog in the yard. 

"What about the other three amulets?" Xue Yang asked. "You took them, didn't you?"

"Yes," Xiao Xingchen replied. "I buried them in the yard, with the puppy. The amulets need to stay together and keep each other in harmony. It was only when they were split that they began acting out."

"I'd call that the human element, Daozhang," Xue Yang replied. "Humans did that to one another."

"Whether they were controlled by the amulets or the amulets controlled them," Xiao Xingchen answered. "It is not for us to know. They will be fine in the yard where no one knows about them, and they are guarded by a most ferocious beast."

"It seems to me that the dog knows how to use that amulet," Xue Yang complained as they passed by the plum trees. They were barren of all fruit, now. "Else how would it have drawn us back to the village before?"

"The amulets call to each other," Xiao Xingchen replied. "Even if you had pocketed one, we would have returned to the village again and again until you had surrendered it."

"You think so little of me," Xue Yang replied, a slight pout to his voice. "Daozhang, you shouldn't think of me like that! I know better than to do something like that!"

"I know you do," came the gentle response, a smile as bright as moonlight on his face. 

Xue Yang set his jaw and walked beside the Daozhang silently. He had nothing to say in the face of Xiao Xingchen's words, once again. He hated this dumb, naive idiot. Of course Xue Yang would have taken the fire amulet, given the chance. They both knew it, even if both denied it aloud. It was getting harder and harder to trick Xiao Xingchen. That just meant he had to come with new, more interesting tricks. In his head, Xue Yang began to compile a list.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of THIS mystery. There's definitely more mysteries to come, but the next few chapters will all be about XueXiao's relationship (issues) so if you want to avoid that...skip to chapter 9! (And yes, these are being posted on a regular schedule...set your calendar to two weeks from now!)


	7. October: Part 1

Xiao XingChen's hand trembled as he reached down to feel the face of the man he had just killed. No, the walking corpse. Even without the nameless stranger's voice telling him that this man was past saving, his sword had known. Shuanghua was attracted to corpse energy and had leapt in his hand as soon as the man had appeared. Even before the man had attacked them, his movements shuffling and stiff from disuse, he had known something was wrong. 

A hand caught his wrist, fingers tightening against his skin. It belonged to the nameless stranger that had accompanied him for so many months now. He swallowed and stilled, his breath still coming out in hysterical puffs. 

"Don't do this to yourself," his nameless friend murmured. He felt the tug on his wrist as he was dragged away from the corpse. "These are hard times and there are many resentful spirits coming back as walking corpses. There is nothing we can do but eliminate them."

"We could suppress them instead," Xiao XingChen's words felt weak to his own ears. They were excuses, and he knew it. Yes, they could suppress the resentful spirits inside of the walking corpses. But it took time and energy, as well as some skill, to do so. Lately the roads had been packed with these corpses. He and Xue Yang went on night-hunts weekly, yet still the walking corpses appeared everywhere they went. If they took the time to suppress one, how many more would the next walking corpse victimize?

"Daozhang," he could hear the sigh of his friend's voice. Instead of berating Xiao XingChen, he merely released his wrist. "I will take care of the body. Then we should be getting back. Little Blind will be worried about us."

"You shouldn't call her that," Xiao XingChen's response was automated from long months of telling the man.

"Of course I should," Xue Yang replied. He could feel the smirk on the other's face as he leaned close, his breath puffing against Xiao XingChen's ear. "You're blind, and she's little blind. There's nothing else to it."

And then he was gone, dragging the body off of the road and picking up dried leaves to act as kindling around it. The autumn was in full swing, making such things easy enough to find. The summer had been rough, full of mysteries, monsters, and walking corpses that seemed to come up out of the ground as quickly as people died. Once the leaves had completely fallen from the trees and the nights became colder, Xiao XingChen would need to stay at the coffin home more. There was plenty that needed to be done to shore up the house for the oncoming winter. 

The crackling of flame told him that Xue Yang had lit the fire, just as the footsteps back to him told him that he was no longer alone. 

"Daozhang," the voice called his name solemnly. "You've been crying again."

There was the slightest bit of judgment in his voice, as if he didn't feel that Xiao XIngChen should be crying over a corpse, newly risen and then shushed back to the grave with his sword. It was unnatural, something that should never have existed, anyway. Still, Xiao XingChen couldn't help but wander if the corpse might have wanted something easily obtained. 

Sometimes all they wanted was to have a message delivered or to get back home again. Other times, their desires could be suppressed enough for them to return to the grave. The option that Xiao XingChen seemed to choose again and again was elimination. Was he not a kind and gentle soul? Was he not allowed to feel for these spirits that he so ruthlessly put down with his sword?

"There is no harm in shedding tears over the dead," he heard himself telling his friend. "We should watch the fire to make sure it does not run out of control. With the grass as dry as it is, we could harm someone else while trying to save innocents."

"Of course," his friend replied. He felt a hand cup his face suddenly, a cloth running across each cheek in a gentle swipe. Xiao XingChen stood and allowed the touch. He knew his friend couldn't stand to see him cry, tears thick as blood running down from the place where his eyes should have been. 

"Friend," he sighed, wondering if he should ask the man his name after all. But this one clearly had a past he wished not to speak of, so Xiao XIngChen kept his silence. He hadn't revealed his name to the other, either. They both had burdens to bear. 

"Hmm?"

"Do you never wonder why there are so many walking corpses around?" he changed his question. Some things needed to remain unasked. 

"Of course I wonder," Xue Yang replied. He put the rag away and wrapped an arm around Xiao XingChen's shoulders, guiding him closer to the heat of the blaze. "But I also see the hard times that have fallen on people every time we walk into the marketplace. There are less vendors, less customers. The vegetables are low quality and the prices are still high--even with my bargaining skills. I know you have heard it, too."

Xiao XingChen nodded in agreement at the facts Xue Yang laid out before him. "So it's easy enough for someone to die if they don't get enough to eat or to sacrifice themselves to feed their family," he continued. "Which means that there's a lot of resentful spirits that feel the heavy burden of failure. They come back trying to fix that failure."

"And then we kill them," Xiao XingChen replied dully. His stomach swirled in unease. He could nearly hear the smirk in the other's voice. 

"And then we set them free of their pain," Xue Yang corrected. "It's quite simple, really. There's no way to reach them. We can't afford to feed every family we meet, and surely the families are doing better anyway without an extra mouth to feed. It's hard to suppress such strong resentment, too. Elimination is the best way, in this case."

"I don't know that I agree," Xiao XIngChen replied. His lips felt numb. How many corpses had he cleansed from the earth now?

=====

The good news was that Xiao Xingchen has absolutely no idea that Xue Yang was deliberately putting people in his way, injured and poisoned, for him to kill. While forcing Xiao Xingchen to kill innocent people had long since lost its allure to him, the turmoil he had begun to feel at killing what he thought were mere walking corpses was a sweet salve to Xue Yang's boredom. That, and he saw now how easily Xiao Xingchen reached for his sword. It was taking longer than he would have liked for the Daozhang to convert to his way of thinking, but there was progress there. 

The glee he felt kept a grin on his face as they made their way back to the coffin home. Little Blind was there, sulking. She had demanded to go with them this time, but Xiao Xingchen had denied her. There was work to do before winter, he had told her. Of course, he had told Xue Yang the same thing. The difference was that Xue Yang had proven his ability to help Xiao Xingchen during night hunts while A-Qing was simply a nuisance and accident waiting to happen. 

"We have a lot of work to do," Xiao Xingchen announced as they crossed the high threshold. "The furnace needs to be examined to make sure it will work. We need to seal up the windows--"

"I know," Xue Yang rolled his eyes at Xiao Xingchen's admonishments. "We need to get the place ready for winter. Got it."

Xue Yang hated the chores, hated that Xiao Xingchen thought he had the right to boss both him and A-Qing around. On the other hand, Xue Yang had to admit, grudgingly, that the Daozhang did seem to have some idea of what needed to be done before winter. So he cleaned and examined the furnace to make sure it would not catch fire and burn them up in the middle of the night. He swept the leaves from the roof and helped Xiao Xingchen seal the windows and doors as best they could to keep the drafts out. Then, because he was the only one that could see, Xue Yang was tasked with buying material for more blankets. The three thin cotton blankets they had now were perfectly fine in the spring and fall and not needed in the summer. They would not last the winter, however. 

"Annoying one!" A-Qing called out as he followed him into the marketplace. "I want a pretty blanket."

"Why should you get a pretty one?" he demanded. "You can't even see it! I'm going to buy the plainest, grayest cloth I can."

"No!" A-Qing protested. "I want a pretty one! Blue with silver thread!"

There was, actually, a fabric that held those two colors. A single glance at it made Xue Yang imagine a luxurious quilt made from it to adorn his bed. He glanced at A-Qing in suspicion, but there was no way she could have seen it. He had tested her too many times not to believe her blindness now. 

"There's no fabric like that!" he declared. "You're getting gray!"

"I don't want gray!"

He made her carry the fabrics back to the coffin house. He had not gotten the blue and silver fabric, instead settling on a rich brown cotton that would not stain so easily. It wasn't like anyone but he would ever see it, anyway. It reminded him of the color Xiao Xingchen's eyes had been. A streak of vicious satisfaction ran through him as he thought of the irony. 

Xue Yang set the food he carried on the table as A-Qing set the fabrics down beside it. Xiao Xingchen ran his fingers over the three different fabrics, stopping as he touched the brown. 

"This one is thinner than the rest," Xiao Xingchen admonished softly. "It will not be as warm."

"But I'll get to look at something besides plain gray all winter," Xue Yang replied. "Besides, Little Blind demanded a pretty one. If she gets cold, it will be her fault."

"You--!" A-Qing started. Xue Yang smirked when Xiao Xingchen, as expected, reached out to pat her head. 

"Shush. I will take the thinner blanket. Then neither of you will fight over who has a prettier one." 

Xue Yang didn't reveal that it was his plan all along to give the Daozhang the thinner blanket the color of his missing eyes. He didn't mention the fact that a thinner blanket for Xiao Xingchen made his bed appear to be more appealing, with its warm, thick blankets. It wouldn't take much, he thought, to convince Xiao Xingchen to share a bed with him once the weather turned cold and unforgiving. 

It was two weeks before the wood was chopped, the coal gathered, and the fabric sewn into blankets. Each night was colder than the last, though the days remained mild and sunny. Two weeks, and Xue Yang thought he would go out of his mind from the days filled with mind-numbing work and Little Blind's senseless bickering with him. Why couldn't she do what she was told? 

"Daozhang," Xue Yang's voice took on a slight pleading tone as he pestered Xiao Xingchen again. Had he pushed Xiao Xingchen too far, that the Daozhang suddenly had no desire to go out night hunting with him? Two weeks, and he had been climbing the walls from boredom. 

"Daozhang, think of all the people out there that are trying to get their houses ready for winter to, but can't because of monsters and walking corpses. Surely this can't be a seasonable hobby of yours, can it? How can you be content with stopping when people need you the most? It's simple enough to lock yourself inside your house to hide from monsters in the winter. But what about in the autumn? How can you turn your back on these people?"

"I am not turning my back," Xiao XIngchen replied. Xue Yang had expected at least a bit of testiness in his voice, but it remained as gentle as always. "But what good would it be if we all froze to death or starved during the winter? Aren't you the one to say that we must help ourselves in order to help other people?"

Xue Yang stared at Xiao Xingchen in surprise. He had been pushing this point home with Xiao Xingchen since they had first met, trying to convince the Daozhang that he needed to kill first so he had more time to help other people. What else had he told Xiao Xingchen? That he needed to heal first instead of rushing into the fray. That he needed to eat first because not eating led to weakness, which led to more monsters killing people. He had been saying such a thing for months, but this was he first time he had head of Xiao XIngchen think this way without Xue Yang guiding him. Was this progress?

"You're not wrong," he quickly agreed. "But we have everything in order now, so we should go back out for another night-hunt soon, shouldn't we?"

"I want to make sure we have enough rice to last the winter," Xiao Xingchen murmured as he continued to cut vegetables for their dinner. Xue Yang sighed in exasperation. 

"We could just ask for rice as payment for our services," Xue Yang told him. "Daozhang, I'm concerned. For these people, of course. And for us, not having enough rice for the winter. Where will we get money to buy it?"

"We are not charging for our services," Xiao Xingchen answered. 

"Of course not!" Xue Yang agreed, because he knew that this was a point they would never see eye to eye on. He would just continue to collect their fee behind Xiao Xingchen's back as he had been. "But desperate people might offer us rice or something of use, if they have extra. You know this is true. We need to provide our services to these people, and if they are happy enough to help us...well, surely there's no harm in that?"

"No," Xiao Xingchen sighed. "But it is not something we must expect. Or even hope for. We must hunt monsters because it is the right thing to do, not because we expect to be rewarded."

"Then we should go do it because it's the right thing to do," Xue Yang protested. Ironic, how he was using Xiao Xingchen's own arguments against him. Then again, if he had to stick around Little Blind one more day, he was going to have to come up with a damn good excuse as to her sudden disappearance. He wasn't even sure he'd ever be able to shake that suspicion. Xiao Xingchen was much too clever for his own damn good. 

Xiao Xingchen dumped the vegetables into a pot before he assented to go on another night hunt. Xue Yang wanted to press him against the wall and plunder his mouth, so happy was to leave the coffin home behind. He didn't, though. Xiao Xingchen had to come to him, after all, or this game wouldn't be fun at all. 

=====

It took about an hour of walking into the blustery wind for Xue Yang to realize his mistake. They never should have made blankets to get through winter. They should have made warmer robes, cloaks, or anything else to stop this wind from tearing through the too-thin clothes on his back. Xiao Xingchen didn't make a sound as they exited the two cliffs that framed the path to Yi City. From there, they would head towards the nearest village and see if any strange happenings were going on around them. Xue Yang didn't expect to find anything in the first village, or they would have heard the rumors in Yi City. 

As was their usual custom, Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang went to the teahouse, ordered tea for Xiao Xingchen and wine for Xue Yang, and then proceeded to ask about any strange rumors that might be circulating. The problem with doing such a thing in the market at Yi City or in a teahouse at Yi City was that no one ever knew anything. No one traveled into Yi City with any regularity, and the few who did had a habit of closing their eyes and ears to things such as that. It was maddening. Thankfully, this village was on a crossroads and often had travelers pass through. It was the perfect place to hear gossip.

"Ah, yes," their waiter explained with a quick nod of his head. "I have heard something lately. There's been these rumors about a mannequin maker in a nearby town called Yi City. He sells the most realistic paper mannequins for funerals, you see. But what most people don't know is that he also sells these paper mannequins for dolls. Say a child loses their doll and the parent doesn't want to disappoint the child. The parents goes to Yi City with the broken doll and the mannequin maker makes a mannequin that looks just like the doll. A waste of money, if you don't mind me saying, but then I don't yet have children of my own..."

"Yi City," Xue Yang echoed dully as the waiter finished the tale. Of course it would be Yi City. "So what if the mannequin maker creates mannequins for dolls? We asked about strange happenings!"

"I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it!" the man raised his hands placatingly. "Just three days ago, Ming Su went to Yi City and bought her daughter one of these paper dolls. Her daughter went to burn the paper doll so that her doll's spirit would be safe and not burn in hell. But that very night, their entire house burned down and the entire family perished! While everyone was sorting out the rubble, they found the paper doll made by the mannequin maker, unburnt and untouched!"

"That does sound improbable," Xiao Xingchen mentioned. "But is not outside the realm of possibility. Perhaps the mother bought more than one doll and the extra was lying in a place that was not touched by fire."

"Think what you want!" the waiter exclaimed. "But this is only the first time it happened! Thinking the doll possessed by an evil spirit, Ming Su's mother burnt the paper doll. But last night, her house was also burnt to the ground! They are still clearing out the rubble, but I would bet that there is a paper doll there, too!"

Xue Yang rolled his eyes and took a drink of wine. This night hunt was already boring him. He didn't want to go back to Yi City to interview the mannequin maker, as Xiao Xingchen was sure to do. All they really had to do was find the paper doll and bury it in a lotus box with a few talismans on the cover. Too easy.

"Daozhang," he wheedled. "This one is so simple. Let's finish our drinks and go see if there is actually a paper doll in the rubble. If there is, we can just bury it with a few talismans and go find something else to hunt."

"That is what I was thinking," Xiao Xingchen murmured. He seemed as put out as Xue Yang felt by the ease of this particular night hunt. Then again, perhaps there was something else bothering the Daozhang. The past few weeks, in fact, Xiao Xingchen had seemed to smile less and focus more on the work at hand, which was getting the coffin house ready for winter. Now that task was nearly finished, yet he didn't seem as inclined to go out night hunting. 

This wouldn't do at all. Xue Yang had no intention of spending the entire winter at the coffin house with A-Qing. Blind as she might be, she was at least as perceptive as Xiao Xingchen, if not moreso. She also shared the single room at the coffin home with them, which meant that any chance he had of seducing Xiao Xingchen to his bed would be limited in her presence. The Daozhang, after all, was far too modest to be convinced to do the types of things Xue Yang wanted with an audience. 

They made their way to the ruins of Ming Su's mother's house as the sun was setting. People had milled around, cleaning away the most dangerous of the debris so children wouldn't decide to use the ruins in their games. Someone had already taken the body away, but it took only a few questions to direct them to the man in charge. Ming Ling was a sturdy man, though worn from the past few days' struggles. 

"Did a paper doll turn up here, too?" Xue Yang asked the man. Ming Ling nodded, a heavy sigh on his lips. 

"Alas, you've heard. My mother's body was found with the paper doll clutched in her hand. They've already taken her to the coffin home. We will burn the doll with her, this time once and for all."

So they went to the coffin home, found the paper doll, buried the paper doll. Xue Yang sighed as he sat back. He had dug the hole and allowed Xiao Xingchen to fill it back in again atop the doll. It was late into the night and the temperature was dropping quickly. 

"We are only an hour or so away from home," Xiao Xingchen finally spoke. "We should go back for tonight."

Xue Yang's heart sank as he thought of the long walk back, of A-Qing monopolizing Xiao Xingchen's time with her questions about the night hunt. An hour of cold, penetrating wind followed by a night alone in a cold bed did not sound appealing to Xue Yang. 

"Why don't we find a place to stay here in town?" Xue Yang offered instead. "Then tomorrow we can more easily go to another town and find someone else to help."

"You don't miss your own bed?" Xiao Xingchen asked ruefully. Xue Yang's hope sank at the answer. 

"You sleep in a coffin," he pointed out. "How can you miss yours? I don't want to walk back in the cold for an hour. Indulge me, why don't you? Let's just find a room here."

It took far too much cajoling to get Xiao Xingchen to agree, but at last they made their way to the inn. They got one room with one bed, the cheapest the owner was willing to go. It was little more than a closet with a small bed stuffed into the space. As Xiao Xingchen entered the room, he sat on the bed slowly and began to peel off his boots. Xue Yang closed the door behind them and slid the lock into place. 

"Daozhang," he said, kicking off his own boots before walking over to sit on the bed beside Xiao Xingchen. "You know...if you need to speak about something...I'm here."

Xue Yang liked it when Xiao Xingchen spoke to him about his most intimate thoughts. It was a good way to learn about how the Daozhang thought, and a rare opportunity to try to mold him into something he was not. If he asked Xiao Xingchen to share too often, though, he ran the risk of Xiao Xingchen beginning to suspect him. That, and he could only listen to Xiao Xingchen whine about 'the moral high ground' and 'the greater good' so much before he started to feel physically ill. 

"It's nothing," Xiao Xingchen shook his head, a now-rare smile surfacing for only a moment. "I assume you want the bed, since you pressed so hard not to return home to yours?"

Xue Yang rolled his eyes, holding in an exasperated sigh. He wondered sometimes if Xiao Xingchen was actually this thick, or if he only pretended to be so just to be polite. He turned, reaching up to cradle Xiao Xingchen's cheek in his hand. As expected by now, the Daozhang leaned into the touch. Xue Yang had worked so hard to cultivate trust with Xiao Xingchen, just as he tried hard to seed corruption into him. 

"Daozhang, I think you're playing with me," he put a teasing tone into his voice as he used his thumb to stroke Xiao Xingchen's cheek. "Would I get only one bed and make you take the ground? It's a large bed and a small room. Share it with me."

They had shared a bedroll before, a few months ago. Xiao Xingchen had not complained about such a thing then, though he hadn't asked to share a bed with Xue Yang again. Was it because he was being polite? Or did he simply have no interest in Xue Yang? Both of those possibilities put a sour taste in his mouth. Damn Xiao Xingchen and his damn politeness, and fuck him if he didn't truly have an interest in Xue Yang. Why would he lean into every touch if he didn't care for Xue Yang just a bit? Why would he take him on long night hunts? No, the second possibility was not a possibility at all. Xue Yang knew he had to be interested. It was just a matter of breaking past his barriers. 

"I don't..." Xiao Xingchen hesitated, as if wondering at the meaning behind Xue Yang's words. After a moment, he gave Xue Yang another half smile and nodded. "We can sleep in the same bed, then."

Xue Yang didn't miss the clarification. Xiao Xingchen must have considered the possibility that Xue Yang had meant something else. It wasn't exactly a rejection and it was no less than what Xue Yang had expected, but it was annoying nonetheless. 

He stripped out of his outer robes, covered in dust from the day's travel, and crawled into bed while Xiao Xingchen did the same. Once they were fitted together into the small space, Xue Yang pulled the blanket over them and wrapped an arm around Xiao Xingchen's waist. The Daozhang leaned back, his back pressing against Xue Yang's chest. The smallest of sighs escaped his lips. 

Xue Yang reached up from his waist to tuck a lock of hair behind Xiao Xingchen's ear, watching as his Daozhang turned his face to follow the ghostly caress. It seemed as though Xue Yang couldn't keep his eyes off of the Daozhang or the way he reacted to the smallest, most innocent of touches. It was utterly fascinating. 

His fingers moved again to touch Xiao Xingchen's face, knuckles grazing his cheek slightly. Xue Yang did not know how to be tender, how to be caring. He could only explore what Xiao Xingchen might like, and it seemed as though light touches were fine when it came to the Daozhang. His fingers trailed down his neck, over his robe and down his white sleeve. Every touch made Xiao Xingchen wriggle closer to him, letting out small, breathy sighs that Xue Yang quickly became addicted to. 

He leaned in, lips parting slightly as they hovered above Xiao Xingchen's. Xue Yang hesitated for only a few seconds, but it was enough. Their breaths mingled as Xiao Xingchen's hand rose up to stop Xue Yang's from stroking down his arm yet again. 

"Stop," came the choked voice. 

Hate and desire co-mingled in a wave that washed over Xue Yang at that one word. He pulled back, rejected. Xiao Xingchen turned away, his lips trembling as he clenched his fist. Xue Yang swallowed hard, not saying anything. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to beg him like that, in exactly that tone. But he didn't want it to be that word that passed Xiao Xingchen's lips. He wanted the word to be _more._

They lay side by side, not touching, for several minutes in the dark. Xue Yang didn't look at Xiao Xingchen, couldn't look at him at that moment. He didn't understand. The Daozhang had so clearly wanted to be touched by Xue Yang. Why had he stopped? Was the imminent kiss the stroke that had broken the horse's back? Why had Xiao Xingchen refused him?

No more words were spoken that night as Xue Yang simmered in rage, failure, and desire beside Xiao Xingchen. He didn't notice the slow drip of red tears down the Daozhang's face or the tension in Xiao Xingchen's body as they lay side by side, neither able to comfortably sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did tag this as a slow burn...right?


	8. October: Part 2

The next day was colder than the last, but they marched on to the next town anyway. Xiao Xingchen was not his typical, centered self. How could he be, with his own actions from the night before? He could still feel the nameless stranger hovering above him, feel his breath puff ever so lightly against Xiao Xingchen's lips, feel the hot stroke of his fingers down Xiao Xingchen's arms. He had wanted so badly to reach up and kiss those lips, finally touch them to his own as he'd been longing to do for months. 

But he couldn't. How would the stranger feel when he woke up the next day and found that in a moment of weakness, he had spent the night with a blind man? Then they would need to continue to live together, the man reminded every day of his own failure. Xiao Xingchen would feel his friend pull away from him bit by bit until the day the stranger finally left. No, what had happened last night was a mess, but it was salvageable. Going any further would not be.

To his credit, Xue Yang had stopped, pulling away at the slightest word from Xiao Xingchen as if realizing what he had been about to do, as well. The Daozhang had felt the body next to him all night, tension radiating from it. If Xiao Xingchen hadn't been so wanton...but it had felt so good to be touched, even in the most innocent of ways. He wanted it, would easily succumb to the temptation again if given half a chance. It brought his spirits even lower than before.

At the next town, there were walking corpses. The stranger helped him corral a great many into one area. He killed them all, thanking Shuanghua for knowing which way to point. It was almost cathartic, killing so many unnatural abominations at once. He helped carry their bodies to a pile while the helpful stranger lit a blaze and went to warn the survivors away from the immediate area. 

They hadn't even left town when more walking corpses appeared. Had he missed them in the first wave? Or had more suddenly appeared in the space of time since he had killed and burned the last ones? Each stroke of his blade made him doubt himself and his abilities more. Why hadn't he looked further into the village to find out if there were more walking corpses? Why were there suddenly so many in this village now?

In the end, they burned most of the village to the ground. Xiao Xingchen wandered over to a water basin and splashed water on his face, trying to at least get rid of the tears. He could feel the blood soaking into his clothes, the wind whistling as it tore through the thin, wet layers. Xiao Xingchen sunk to the ground, hidden between the water basin and a wall, and tried to pull himself together. 

Things had been building up to this over the past month. Constantly killing instead of trying to save people. He thought if he stayed away from night hunting, then at least he would be doing something productive for A-Qing, for the nameless stranger. If he could fix up their home and get them ready for winter, then he would be helping two people he cared deeply for. But still that nagging voice that sounded so much like the nameless stranger followed him around, telling him how much good he could be doing in the world. 

So he ventured out in the world, saved a family from their own stupidity at continuing to try to burn a possessed paper doll, then proceeded to nearly ruin a perfectly good friendship and now...now he couldn't even night hunt properly. If he had just checked the village for more walking corpses...some of the people could have been saved. Xiao Xingchen's failure was their deaths. 

At long last, he felt another presence in the courtyard. The nameless stranger was there, watching him. He didn't say anything as Xiao Xingchen tried to pull himself together. He felt the blood smear on his hands as he wiped at his cheeks. What was a bit more blood on his hands? His friend would know immediately that he had been crying. 

There was a low sigh as Xiao Xingchen finally stood up from his supposed hiding place and walked out, his clenched jaw revealing the break in his composure. He wished he could see the expression on the nameless stranger's face now. Was it loathing? Was there a sneer of hatred or just a look of complete pity? He didn't know which of the three was worse. 

"There you are," came the voice of his friend, somehow filled with warmth. "I've been looking for you. Let's go inside."

Xiao Xingchen felt a hand on his arm as Xue Yang guided him into a nearby building. The stench of burning bodies covered the air outside, but the inside smelled of fresh bread and some kind of soup. He sat down on a stool and reached out to realize there was a table in front of him, already set with a steaming bowl of soup and a set of chopsticks. He hesitated for a second as the implications weighed down on him. This was someone's home. Someone had made this soup expecting to be alive enough to eat it that night, or to serve it to family members. 

"It isn't your fault that this happened," he heard the voice of his friend. "But it will be your fault if this soup, made with love and care, goes to waste. Eat up."

Xiao Xingchen forced the soup down his throat, the heat warming him from the inside. He couldn't properly taste the soup, still upset enough over the past month's events to leak bloody tears as he ate. He imagined it tasted like sunlight, though, and maybe a hint of ginger and pork. His friend was right, of course. He did feel better after eating the soup, both from his feeding his famine and from the knowledge that the maker's soup had been delicious and not gone to waste.

When he had eaten his fill and pushed the bowl away, Xue Yang knelt before him. There was a splash and the sound of water being wrung from a cloth before his face was gently dabbed and wiped. Xiao Xingchen's stomach dropped as he leaned into the gentle touch automatically. A hand came up to cup his jaw, holding him still as Xue Yang carefully wiped his face clean. Then he took each one of Xiao Xingchen's hands and carefully wiped the blood from them, as well. The hands were rough, but the attention was the gentle care of a friend. 

Xiao Xingchen thought of the offer from the night before. Would this man really listen to the whining plight of a blind man? How could he, when Xiao Xingchen could hardly bear to think of the thoughts himself, much less utter them aloud? It seemed so silly, what he was thinking. Of course he was helping people. Of course he was. Except he kept making mistakes, and then...he didn't think before he acted. 

"Daozhang," came the earnest voice. "We need to get you out of these clothes, before you catch a cold. Here, there are extra robes in this room. No one will miss them anymore."

Xiao Xingchen allowed his friend to help him pull off his robes, his belt and sash. But Xue Yang stood back when it came to his undergarments, only taking the old and handing him the new in silence. He imagined the man looking away from him as he tied the clothes together across his chest. Or maybe the nameless stranger was unashamedly watching him change. He didn't know. He didn't ask. 

He settled onto the bed, exhausted from a day of walking, of fighting, killing, burning, crying, being numb. He had eaten a dead man's food, was wearing a dead man's clothes, sitting on a dead man's bed. A man he had undoubtedly killed as a walking corpse and one whose death he might have caused either by not going out on night hunts so frequently as to allow the rise of the walking dead here, or by not noticing that there were more walking corpses in the town while he was burning those he had already eliminated.

"Daozhang," his friend knelt on the floor in front of him instead of beside him on the bed. It was a small change from the night before, and not one he felt comfortable with. He reached out, taking the stranger's hands into his own. 

"Daozhang, anyone can miss a walking corpse or two. Those people must have already been poisoned, to have turned so fast. It wasn't your fault." The voice was so earnest, so pleading to Xiao Xingchen's ears. He squeezed Xue Yang's hands and stayed silent. He could feel the wait of expectation on him, but he didn't know what there was to say. His friend was being logical, but Xiao Xingchen had yet to repair his heart with logic. 

=====

For Xue Yang, the day, the new distance between himself and Xiao Xingchen, had been more than frustrating. He may have taken out his frustrations on part of the next town they came across. There really had been a walking corpse or two there. He had simply exacerbated it. Exaggerated the numbers to Xiao Xingchen, sent corpse poison into the air. It certainly made him feel better about the rejection from the night before. 

And when Xiao Xingchen thought he was done, Xue Yang snuck away and poisoned another significant portion of the town. It was like having two night hunts in one! Yet the rage in his body, the hurt from the way he had been so thoroughly rejected, refused to leave. He killed, but it wasn't enough. How dare Xiao Xingchen, after everything, turn away from him, ask him to stop?

He took another tour around the town, making sure he hadn't missed poisoning anyone. When he finally made his way back to where he had left the Daozhang, Xiao Xingchen was nowhere to be seen. Xue Yang looked around, finally finding him curled up and sobbing by a basin in a courtyard. Only then had his rage left, replaced by the glee of revenge. 

_Deny me, Xiao Xingchen,_ he thought tauntingly, _And people will die. They will pay the price for you._

His glee faded at the realization that an opportunity had presented itself perfectly to him. This was the moment the past months had been building to, where he could finally tell Xiao Xingchen the truth about who he was and what he had forced the Daozhang to do. But looking at him now, the timing seemed off. Why should Xue Yang kick him when he was already on the ground? There wasn't much fun in it. 

No, now was the perfect time to build that trust back up. He could try again. Accept Xiao Xingchen as he was, draped in the blood of innocents and pathetically crying tears over his own actions. Dismiss the previous night's mishap as a fluke. Go slower, take his time. He must have rushed too much the night before, excited as he was for Xiao Xingchen accepting his touches. He should have made Xiao Xingchen come to him. 

It took Xue Yang a few minutes of walking around before he found what he was looking for. Sure enough, at least one family had left dinner cooking on the stove. He tasted the soup, making sure it was edible before he served it. He ladled the soup into a bowl and set it on the table. He found robes in the closet, but they were bland and nondescript. So he went to the house next door and found a much nicer set of blue robes for Xiao Xingchen to wear. He took them back to the other house, changed the sheets on the bed. Once he was sure the scene was set perfectly, he went back to find Xiao Xingchen. He was still a huddled mess on the ground. 

Xue Yang leaned back against the building and waited, a smirk on his face. He was going to fix Xiao Xingchen. Oh, this was actually a lot of fun. Far more fun than he'd had in the weeks he had spent at the coffin home with A-Qing. How many times could he tear Xiao Xingchen down--or really, allow Xiao Xingchen to tear himself down--and then slowly build him back up again? The more Xue Yang helped Xiao Xingchen, the deeper their relationship became, the more trust he gained...the sweeter that final betrayal would be.

Of course, by then Xue Yang had every intention of having corrupted the Daozhang so much he wouldn't care what Xue Yang's name even was. Could he actually do it? Xue Yang wondered. He had thought it would be so easy to corrupt Xiao Xingchen, to persuade him and seduce him into his bed. 

Last night had been a cold awakening. Perhaps Xiao Xingchen wasn't as corruptible as he had thought...or perhaps Xue Yang wasn't as capable as he had thought. Both were things he was determined to prove wrong. 

When Xiao Xingchen finally composed himself and came out, Xue Yang put on his best act yet. He fed the Daozhang, cleaned him, clothed him in those beautiful blue robes, and sat him on the bed. Now was the hardest part at all...the part where he built Xiao Xingchen back up again, but in his image. The task before him was monumental. Xue Yang had no experience being gentle or understanding. He was far out of his depth, and he could only pray that repeating words he had heard his former friend Jin Guangyao say before would do the trick. 

Yet after a few statements of 'it wasn't your fault', Xue Yang began to get annoyed with himself. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to know it was his fault, that every single death that had occurred in this village was his fault in particular. He wanted him to know that this was the price for denying Xue Yang what he really wanted. But mostly he wanted Xiao Xingchen to have the knowledge that it was his fault and be happy about it. None of those scenarios would turn out well for Xue Yang, however. Xiao Xingchen's breakdown only proved that he was incapable of accepting people's deaths at his own hands. Xue Yang had to be patient when it came to that. 

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Xue Yang demanded. He realized immediately that his voice had been too harsh, as Xiao Xingchen shrunk back, pulling his hands away from Xue Yang. He quickly softened it. "Daozhang...it hurts to see you beat yourself up over this. It was a tragedy, but an unavoidable one. I feel at fault, since I forced you to come out here today...we could have left this town for the next cultivator. The result would have been the same."

Xiao Xingchen's lips trembled again and Xue Yang held in a sigh. Building someone back up from the state Xiao Xingchen was in turned out to be so _hard_! Why couldn't he just accept what Xue Yang was saying at face value?

"It's not your fault," Xiao Xingchen finally whispered, reaching out to pat Xue Yang on the head half-heartedly. "We were already too late when we arrived. If we had gotten here yesterday, perhaps..."

"We were saving that family from the possessed doll yesterday!" Xue Yang protested. "Daozhang, we cannot do both. And with the houses so close together in the last town we were in, another fire might have wiped out that town, as well! Why are you comparing saving one town to another? There's no way to measure the good we do in the world. A family, a town, a single person...as long as you save lives and do good, isn't that enough?"

"I suppose it has to be," Xiao Xingchen murmured. He didn't look convinced. He did reach down to take Xue Yang's hand, tugging him up to sit beside him on the bed. "Friend, last night I...I should apologize."

 _Damn right you should,_ Xue Yang internally seethed. He pasted a smirk on his face and tried to keep his voice innocent. 

"Apologize? What for?" His voice sounded slightly strained to his own ears. 

Xiao Xingchen fell silent, his hands still holding Xue Yang's. His thumbs gently massaged over Xue Yang's fingers and it felt nice. 

"I was...wanton," the Daozhang finally gritted out. "I don't want you to think...Friend, I treasure what we have between us already. I would rather not...try to change that."

"Wanton," Xue Yang echoed, letting the disbelief slip into his voice. Xiao Xingchen had been enjoyable last night, fascinating...but Xue Yang would never have described his behavior as 'wanton'. It was, in fact, the complete opposite.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang started before cutting himself off. Hadn't he just promised himself to go slower, to let Xiao Xingchen come to him? This may have been a peace offering for the night before, but it was a far cry from Xiao Xingchen demanding to be owned and plundered by Xue Yang. He needed to back off for now, or risk losing everything then and there. 

"...I understand," he forced himself to say instead. He pushed a flippant tone into his voice, hoping to get his own point across. "Though I fear I was the wanton one. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you like that."

It was a seeded opening for Xiao Xingchen. The Daozhang looked startled at the confession, perhaps a bit confused. Xue Yang wanted him to ask why his friend would have tried to kiss him.

"You...tried to kiss me?" he repeated, probably thinking back through the events of the night and finding a certain lack of lips meeting. He had surely known how close their lips had been, but it may not have occurred to him that it was mutually desired. 

"I apologize," Xue Yang couldn't help the canines the poked out of his smirk as he funneled as much earnestness into his tone as he could. "I shouldn't have. I promise you, Daozhang, I understand your feelings and it won't happen again. If you ever do try to change our friendship, _you_ will have to kiss _me._ "

"...Oh." Xue Yang watched Xiao Xingchen closely, seeing the conflicted feelings crossing his face. 

A distant part of him hoped that Xiao Xingchen would decide in that moment to lean in for a kiss. It would have been the perfect timing. Xiao Xingchen would want to erase the stain of so many deaths on his hands and should easily cave into the loving arms of his best friend and confidant who had just confessed to nearly kissing him the night before. It would have been the perfect time, in Xue Yang's opinion. It was, apparently, not so in the Daozhang's.

"Thank you, then," Xiao Xingchen smiled at him, seeming to relax. "I'll keep that in mind."


	9. December: Part 1

It was _cold_. Even with the windows sealed up, the furnace blasting as much heat as it could put out, even covered in the thick blanket Xiao Xingchen had sewn together for him from new fabric and the thin one he had had previously...Xue Yang was _cold_. Just a month and a half ago, he had had bright ideas about sharing warmth with Xiao Xingchen. He had thought by now that they would at least be sharing the bed, if not their bodies. He had been wrong.

Xue Yang had always appreciated a challenge. What was life without a few goals in mind? His revenge against Xiao Xingchen was his current goal, though the shape of it was ever-changing. Was it better to slowly break him down and build him back up bit by bit in a series of recurring cycles? Or should Xue Yang completely annihilate Xiao Xingchen's spirit, pick up the broken pieces and paste them back together again? His opinion on the matter changed by the day. His method changed not at all. Until he had decided once and for all how to exact his revenge, he would need to build up trust.

He pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, sucking on it for only a moment before wrapping it back up and placing it in his pocket. It was his last piece of candy and he wasn't sure when he would be able to get more. His coin purse was empty and there were no plans to go out into the windy winter to coerce people into giving him more. So Xue Yang huddled around the furnace and soothed his bitter frustrations with the fading sweetness of a well-tasted candy.

When Xiao Xingchen came back from the market, the wind caught the door. It slammed into the basket he was carrying and Xue Yang watched in horror as the basket smashed to the ground. Its few contents didn't fair any better, he saw as he rose to help. Now they had a broken basket, a busted cabbage, and bruised radishes. He bit back a retort only because Xiao Xingchen had been the one holding the basket.

He had not forgotten his original plan, his desire to fully own Xiao Xingchen body, mind, and soul. The problem was that Xiao Xingchen's mind was so fragile these days. A few careless words might destroy everything Xue Yang had worked so hard for these last months.

He watched as Xiao Xingchen latched the door and reached down, feeling around for the basket. He saw the Daozhang frown as he felt the broken reed sticking out of the basket. Xue Yang reached down and quickly scooped up the remains of the food before putting them into the storage area. Xiao Xingchen was already thinking of how he now needed to repair the basket.

"How did things in the market go?" Xue Yang finally asked. "Did you make Little Blind carry something heavy, and that's why you came back before her?"

"A-Qing was talking to a friend," Xiao Xingchen explained. He sighed as he ran his fingers across the basket. "I think I can fix this."

"She has friends?" Xue Yang exclaimed, acting as though he were astonished. "With that kind of attitude?"

"One could ask the same about yours," came the snappy response Xue Yang had been waiting for. Then Xiao Xingchen let out a sigh. "I apologize, that was...unkind."

"I, for one, think the truth is better than kindness," Xue Yang smirked. _And revenge is so much better than both._

He walked over and took the basket from Xiao Xingchen's hands. The cold seemed to be radiating from the Daozhang and a glance at his hands revealed how red they were from the vicious onslaught of the wind.

"You can fix the basket later," Xue Yang continued, setting the broken object down and taking the Daozhang's hands in his own. "Come sit by the furnace and warm up a bit."

He guided Xiao Xingchen down and sat next to him, pulling his gray blanket over the both of them. As expected, Xiao Xingchen leaned into him more than the overwhelming heat the furnace put out. Ownership was responsibility, Xue Yang thought to himself as he guided Xiao Xingchen's head to his shoulder. If you owned a thing, you owned it wholly, whether it was strong or broken. And if it was broken, you fixed it or you got rid of it. Just like the basket.

The question that nagged at him, hovered around his head like miasma, was whether or not it was worth it to fix Xiao Xingchen. It seemed unsatisfying that Xiao Xingchen's current state was a result of his own mind and actions, not something Xue Yang had foisted upon him. That small fact irritated Xue Yang the most, made him more willing to try to fix Xiao Xingchen. The Daozhang was not allowed to break unless Xue Yang told him it was okay. He wasn't allowed to be like this unless Xue Yang wanted it. The more Xiao Xingchen drug himself down, the more Xue Yang would pull him back up again. He wasn't willing to accept defeat just because the Daozhang was being an idiot.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang said after a few minutes, keeping his voice pleasant. "Are you warm now?" Xiao Xingchen still shivered against him. What if he caught a cold? Would Xue Yang have to nurse him back to health? On top of the ridiculous spirit nurturing he seemed to be doing lately, it seemed like too much.

"I will be in another minute," Xiao Xingchen promised, a soft smile curling on his lips. Xue Yang rolled his eyes. What would another minute in front of the furnace do?

"It was too cold to go to the market today," Xue Yang admonished him. "What if you get sick? Daozhang, you need to take better care of yourself."

"Are you about to suggest I should crawl into bed with you to keep warm?" Xiao Xingchen teased, sitting up and letting the blanket drop from his shoulders.

"It's only logical," Xue Yang agreed. "We can use your blanket, too. And then we'll both have two blankets and a body to keep us warm."

They hadn't shared a bed since that night in the inn a month and a half ago. It had come up a few times, but Xiao Xingchen refused. It was only now, with the cold of the winter driving warmth away, that the subject came up again. Xue Yang hated winter, but he thought that maybe this year it might just be his friend.

Before the Daozhang had a chance to answer, the door burst open again, this time with A-Qing's entrance. Xue Yang's glare could have curdled milk, but the blind girl didn't see it. As she latched the door and turned back to them, though, she froze, as if feeling the penetrating rage emanate from Xue Yang anyway.

"Daozhang, I'm back!" she called out as she moved towards the furnace. She was clutching something in her arms, hugging it carefully to her chest, as if it might break. "Look what Master Tian gave me! It's one of the paper dolls he makes for his customers. He said he didn't need this one after all and gave it to me, instead!"

A-Qing grabbed Xiao Xingchen's hand and placed it on the doll. She refused to let go of it, making Xiao Xingchen shift further away from Xue Yang to pay attention to her. It wasn't enough that she had to live with them, taking up valuable resources and foiling Xue Yang's plans at every turn. No, she continually forced the Daozhang to split his attention between them. It was like the puppy all over again, except the damn puppy never talked back to Xue Yang.

"Of course he gave it to you for free," Xue Yang chimed it. "Its face is messed up!"

The doll’s face was finely crafted, stunning in its realism. It reminded him again of the paper doll that they had found in the next village over that fateful night. His gut twisted as he thought about how quickly they had laid that particular case to rest. Paper doll buried, end of story. He had very nearly kissed Xiao Xingchen that night. Would Xiao Xingchen have stopped him if he actually had?

"Who cares if it has a messed up face?" A-Qing demanded. "It's not like I can see it anyway!"

"It seems to be well-made," Xiao Xingchen cut into the middle of their bickering. "Are you going to burn it?"

"No, of course not!" A-Qing shook her head. "Why would I burn a gift? That's rude, Daozhang! I don't care if it's made out of rags or paper, it's mine and I'm going to keep it!"

Over the next week, he thought back to A-Qing's assertion. She didn't care if it was rags or paper. It was hers. Xue Yang thought that just this once, he could agree with her...though not about the doll, of course. It shouldn't matter how strong or weak Xiao Xingchen was, whether Xue Yang had to coddle him or coerce him. Xiao Xingchen was <i> _his_.</i> He couldn't lose sight of the fact that he owned the Daozhang. Throwing him away because he was too much work would be so stupid. It would be wasteful, after all this time he had spent on Xiao Xingchen.

He didn't realize that there was another presence in the house that watched him. Xue Yang's eyes raked over A-Qing's new paper doll with dismissal as he found it sequestered away in a corner, on the table, in A-Qing's coffin. Never close to the furnace, where the three spent most of their waking moments. A-Qing carried the doll with her around the house, setting it various places but never losing it. Until the day she did.

"Daozhang," A-Qing begged as Xue Yang lounged about reading a book. "Help me find LingLing! I can't find him anywhere!"

"Who's LingLing?" Xue Yang spoke up in a bored voice. He had picked up the book the day before in the market. The seller had sworn up and down that it was written by a man that had studied the manuscripts of the Yiling Patriarch. So far, it contained nothing more than very basic demonic cultivation, all written vaguely so that whomever read the book would never be able to repeat the wild things it promised one could do with it. The entire book was a waste of his time.

"My doll!" A-Qing replied, her voice filled with scorn.  


"You named it?" Xue Yang scoffed at her, flipping the page in his book.

"I didn't name him, he already came with a name!" she exclaimed. "Annoying one, help me find LingLing!"

"Why should I?" Xue Yang replied, finally glancing up from his book. His eyes landed on Xiao Xingchen, who was quietly wiping the dust from the window sills. For a blind person, he certainly cared about cleanliness. If Xue Yang didn't have eyes, he certainly wouldn't be worried about dust bunnies frolicking on window sills.

A-Qing let out a frustrated sigh, giving up on convincing Xue Yang to help. She tugged at Xiao Xingchen's sleeve pleadingly instead.

"I will help you look," Xiao Xingchen promised her gently. "After we finish cleaning. Did you wipe down the stove?"

Xue Yang rolled his eyes and took a quick look around the room. To his surprise, the paper doll was not in any obvious place. He tapped his finger on the book, debating what would be more interesting. After a moment, he closed the book and rose to start looking for the doll.

A thorough search of the house later revealed that the paper doll was nowhere to be found. A-Qing was beside herself in panic, while Xiao Xingchen tried to comfort her in his gentle way. Xue Yang was annoyed by their failure to find a thing made out of paper. He sat back down by the furnace and reached over to pick up his book once more. The doll sat on top of it, its face staring at him in a terrifying glare. Xue Yang couldn't help but release a small yelp of surprise.

"What--" Xue Yang yanked his hand back. "That...that isn't possible!" he hissed, staring at the doll. He thought of the paper doll from the next town over, buried in the ground next to a burnt house shell of a house. It had been buried in a lotus box and covered in talismans. Surely this wasn't the same doll!

"Is it LingLing?" A-Qing demanded, running over to feel around next to Xue Yang. She quickly found the doll and hugged it to her chest.

"LingLing, I told you to stay away from the furnace!" she scolded the doll.

"That doll is possessed!" Xue Yang hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. He wanted to rip it from her arms, cover the thing in talismans, and bury it in the courtyard.

"Do you think so?" Xiao Xingchen asked. He settled himself beside A-Qing, reaching out for the doll. "May I?"

A-Qing reluctantly handed the doll over to Xiao Xingchen, who examined it for a moment before returning it to her.

"I don't feel any evil energy emanating from it. Could it be that A-Qing just misplaced it?"

"I didn't!" A-Qing exclaimed, shaking her head. "LingLing just does things like this sometime. He isn't possessed, Daozhang! The annoying one just wants to murder LingLing!"

"Why would I want to murder a doll unless it's possessed?" Xue Yang demanded. "How could I even murder a doll, anyway? It's a _doll_."

"It's still early," Xiao Xingchen offered. "Why don't we go pay the dollmaker a visit?"

While Xiao Xingchen was hesitant to accuse A-Qing of harboring a possessed doll, he was at least intelligent enough to know that it was not outside of the realm of possibility. So Xue Yang found himself following Xiao Xingchen through the wind to the home and store of one of the prominent mannequin makers in Yi City. Xiao Xingchen knocked on the door as Xue Yang shivered beside him.

"Daozhang, it's cold," he complained unnecessarily. "Do you think it will be warm in here?"

"Perhaps," Xiao Xingchen agreed. He reached out and took Xue Yang's hand, rubbing it in his own for warmth. Then he reached out and knocked again. There was no answer.

Xue Yang could see the hesitation warring on his face. They both wanted to get to the bottom of this, but it didn't seem like enough of a reason to barge into someone's home to look for evidence. LingLing might just be a paper doll, after all. The paper doll that had gotten possessed from the next town over might have been a fluke.

"We should go back," Xiao Xingchen decided after a moment. Xue Yang uttered a sound of protest, clutching the Daozhang's arm. He wasn't scared, of course. It was just a bit disturbing to think that there might be a paper doll with malicious intent inside their home. More than that, he didn't <i>want</i> the thing there and acting as if he were scared was probably the best way to get Xiao Xingchen to agree that A-Qing should get rid of the creepy doll. 

"We're putting talismans on that doll," Xue Yang warned. "I don't <i> _care </i>_ what Little Blind says, the thing moves on its own." Xiao Xingchen laughed, tugging his sleeve away from Xue Yang and beginning to head back towards the house. Their clothes were too thin to be much protection against the wind, making it a long walk back.

"You're so brave when we go on night hunts, but at home you're wary of a paper doll," the Daozhang chastised. "Fine then. We'll put talismans on the doll, just until we can get some answers. We'll make it a jacket of talismans."

"I could use a jacket about now," Xue Yang muttered. Spying a teahouse, he tugged Xiao Xingchen over. "Come on, let's warm up over here."

He led them to a table next to the furnace. It was almost too hot to stand, but coming in from the cold wind, the heat felt good. The waiter quickly came over to serve them tea. He gave them a look that clearly showed his doubts about their ability to pay, but the tea was poured anyway. Food was not offered. Here in Yi City, Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen were fairly known. There weren't many blind Daozhangs living in the city, after all, and Xue Yang...well, he had had his share of run-ins with the townsfolk, when Xiao Xingchen was not present to admonish him.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang began to weedle as they warmed up. "I don't want to sleep in the same room with that doll, talisman jacket or not. Can't we just get rid of it?"

"Let's see if the talisman works, first," Xiao Xingchen replied. "Even if we could convince A-Qing to get rid of the doll, we need to find out how. Burning it did not work for the last family, and if it is the same doll as before, then burying it did not work, either."

"Maybe we could put it back in Master Tian's shop," Xue Yang thought aloud. Xiao Xingchen brought up a valid question, however. Tossing the doll in the furnace wasn't a sound method of destroying it, but neither was burying it in the dirt. He was loathe to go back to the other town and try to dig up the chest containing the previous doll, just to make sure they were not one and the same. It was winter and the walk would be long, the ground hard and frozen. Thinking of it that way, it would be hard to bury the paper doll in the frozen ground now, too.

"It would be rude to break in just to replace a doll," Xiao Xingchen said. "What other methods can you think of?"

"Chopping its head off," Xue Yang deadpanned. "Performing Lingchi on it. Drowning it, hanging it..."

He could tell from the set of Xiao Xingchen's jaw that his creative imagination was not being appreciated. He immediately smirked, softening his tone. "I'm jesting. I was only thinking that if suppressing it is not working, eliminating it must be the proper way."

Xue Yang had learned quite a bit during his time in the LanlingJin sect. If he could get ahold of the doll, he could perhaps see what sort of spirit inhabited it. From there...he wasn't entirely sure what to do. Could he take control of the spirit and turn the doll into his own little minion of paper and resentfulness? He hadn't quite figured out how to do so, or how to hide it from Xiao Xingchen if he did.

Slowly, it dawned on him that if the paper doll was possessed by a spirit he could control, then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to have such a thing. On the other hand, controlling something required at least a minute amount of concentration. If he fell asleep and lost control of the paper doll, then he might be putting them all in danger. Not to mention...what <i>would</i> be the point of controlling a paper doll? Paper was so fragile, after all.

"We could try to find out what it wants," Xiao Xingchen replied, his voice soft. "Suppression and Elimination are not the only ways a cultivator can get rid of spirits. If it is something simple, perhaps we can fulfill its last wish and cause it to leave the paper doll."

"Paper dolls can't talk, though," Xue Yang point out. "Tell me, Daozhang...how often has this method worked for you in the past? Most of the time spirits that haunt things want revenge. What if it's bloodthirsty and waiting for the right moment to kill us all? Daozhang, we need to be on our guard."

“It might still be just a doll," Xiao Xingchen sighed. "And it was given to her by her friend...A-Qing doesn't have many friends. Losing this would devastate her."

"Devastate her?" Xue Yang echoed. He picked up his tea and downed it in a single gulp, the heat rushing down his chest. "It could kill all of us in our sleep. How devastated would she be then?”

They trudged home to the coffin house soon after, their conversation at a stalemate. They found A-Qing tucking the doll into her coffin when they arrived. She sang a lullaby to it as she pulled her blanket up cover the majority of the doll. Xue Yang glared at the doll as he and Xiao Xingchen closed the door behind them went over to the furnace to warm themselves.

"I'll make talismans," Xue Yang said, his voice petulant. "But if this doesn't work, we need to discuss other options."

"We'll try that, first," Xiao Xingchen replied. He settled down besides Xue Yang, a slight frown on his face. Xue Yang peeked over at him, aware of the tension between them. Xue Yang was no coward, but he also wasn't a naive idiot like the Daozhang, either. Taking their time investigating on night hunts was one thing. Having a possessed doll in their own home was quite another. It had been days since the doll had entered their home, days for it to move around and get to know them, to continue to manifest itself.

As promised, once Xue Yang's fingers were more themselves, he drew several talismans. Xiao Xingchen carefully sewed a few of them into a jacket for the doll. The work went quickly so that they were finished by the time Xiao Xingchen needed to start dinner. Neither of them mentioned what the talismans were to be used for to A-Qing. She picked LingLing up from its nap, holding the doll to her ear as if it were speaking to her.

"LingLing says you're trying to hurt him," she announced. Her voice was defensive, petulant. Xue Yang could help but glance at Xiao Xingchen and wonder if he had said anything to her about the talismans. There was no way she could have seen the talisman jacket that Xiao Xingchen was sewing together yet.

"I'm making him a paper jacket to help with the cold," Xiao Xingchen explained kindly. "And our friend has offered to build him a small coffin of his own to sleep in."

Xue Yang was surprised that Xiao Xingchen was sugarcoating the truth for A-Qing. He had expected the man to be forthright and honest about what they were going to do to the doll. He had earlier professed that he didn't want to take A-Qing's doll away, but would still like to neutralize the effect. If the talisman jacket didn't work, they would need to add more talismans and bury it in a lotus box, like the other puppet. Assuming this was not the same puppet. Xue Yang had his doubts.

"Here," Xiao Xingchen offered A-Qing the paper jacket made of talismans. "He'll be warmer this way."

A-Qing took the talisman jacket, but immediately threw it on the floor as if it burned her.

"It's dangerous!" she declared. "Daozhang, why are you being so mean? This will hurt LingLing!" She hugged the doll to her chest, glaring in Xiao Xingchen's general direction.

"A-Qing," Xiao Xingchen's voice had a slight tinge of exasperation, whether from having to deal with Xue Yang or A-Qing all day, he didn't know. "It's made out of talismans for protection. It is only a precaution."

"LingLing doesn't want it!" A-Qing shook her head. "It's gonna hurt him!"

"You're being ridiculous!" Xue Yang chimed in. He rose, a talisman in his hand as he walked around the furnace to A-Qing. "Here." He moved to slap the talisman onto the doll, but A-Qing dodged him at the last moment. She clung to the doll as she danced out of the way, surprisingly nimble for a blind girl.

"No!" she shouted. Tears dripped down her face as she shook her head. "No! I won't let you hurt him! I won't! I won't!"

Xue Yang grabbed her arm, spinning her around as he forcefully slapped the talisman onto the doll. It landed with enough force to crack the forehead of the doll, leaving lifeless eyes staring up at him in an empty way. Xue Yang silently bemoaned the fact that he hadn't had time to research what sort of spirit had been in the doll before he had suppressed it beneath the talisman. 

"LingLing!" A-Qing wailed, clutching the doll to her chest. Xue Yang released her and went over to pick the talisman jacket up from the floor.

"LingLing is perfectly fine," he rolled his eyes. "Just suppressed so he doesn't kill us all in our sleep. Here, put this jacket on it and we won't have to worry about this little matter, right Daozhang?"

"You killed LingLing!" A-Qing wailed, glaring at Xue Yang as she clutched the doll to her chest. She ignored his outstretched hand, still holding the talisman jacket.

"You could have been nicer about it," Xiao Xingchen admonished as he rose and went over to comfort A-Qing.

Xue Yang ignored them both and dropped the talisman jacket to the ground. He walked back to the furnace and picked his book back up. A-Qing quieted as Xiao Xingchen spoke to her, probably explaining the situation. He smirked to himself, mentally congratulating himself both for pulling one over on A-Qing and for suppressing the doll by himself. Of the many types of talismans, the ones he had made were meant for suppression and control. If there had been a spirit within the doll, he would have been able to control it easily from where he sat. As it was, there was no such reaction when he let out a small whistle. There was no soul within the doll, or if there was, it was much too small or weak to be able to do anything.

He glanced over, watching Xiao Xingchen fit the small paper jacket over the doll's chest as A-Qing sniffled over a stupid doll. The wind howled against the outside of the house, but the three of them stayed warm inside. Xiao Xingchen cooked dinner, Xue Yang read, A-Qing moped and carried her stupid paper doll around, thankfully covered in its talisman jacket. It was as peaceful as it had been the day before Xue Yang had realized that they were accommodating a possessed doll.

The next morning that peace was broken once again by a shriek from A-Qing's coffin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the Paper Doll Mystery arc begins! Not related at all, but if someone _does_ happen to know how to free a soul from a paper doll...please let me know. Someone's life may depend on it.


	10. December: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added Implied/Referenced Suicide (for a minor character) tag for this chapter.

Xue Yang rolled out of bed, reaching for a sword that was too far away. He had let down his guard now that he had been living in the coffin home, secure in the fact that anyone coming to kill him would need to get past Xiao Xingchen first. True to form, but the time he grabbed his sword, Xiao Xingchen was already out of his coffin and next to A-Qing's. She was sobbing and staring down at her fingers as if she could see them. 

He frowned, gripping his sword as he walked over. He cast his eyes about for anything out of place. He swore to himself if this was a repeat of the mouse incident, he would cut her tongue out himself. True, none of them particularly liked having live mice crawl over them while they were sleeping, but that was hardly an excuse to wake the rest of the house.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. His smirk was bitter. "Another mouse run across your face?"

"N-no!" A-Qing wailed. She held up her hands so Xue Yang could see the crinkles and lines in them. "Something's wrong with my hands!"

The retort died in Xue Yang's throat as he looked at the paper-thin fingers, barely illuminated in the darkness of their hovel. He crept closer, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. In place of the small hands that belonged to A-Qing were equally small hands, white and thin. They looked as though they were made from the same paper as the doll she had carried around just yesterday.

"What...?" he started to say as Xiao Xingchen reached out to feel A-Qing's hands, his motions gentle. Xue Yang would have crushed the paper hands for sport, just to see if it hurt.

"This is paper," Xiao Xingchen reported. A frown adorned his face as he set A-Qing's hands back in her lap. "These are truly your hands, A-Qing? They aren't just stuffed inside of paper hands?"

She shook her head and sniffled, "No. These are really my hands, Daozhang!"

Xue Yang walked over and peeked inside of the coffin. Sure enough, A-Qing's paper doll LingLing lay there, innocently staring up at the ceiling with inky eyes. Xue Yang grabbed the doll out of the coffin, the talisman jacket ruffling slightly.

"Hey!" A-Qing demanded as Xue Yang walked over to the door and held the doll up in the pre-dawn light that shone through; it was much too cold to open the door.

The doll looked the same as it did the day before, the talisman jacket fluttering as a draft came through the door. Xue Yang looked closer, past the physicality of the doll and to the spirit inside of it. All he found was an empty husk. If there has been a spirit here the day before, it had vacated the premises, either by being weak enough that the talismans had eliminated it, or by getting out of the doll before Xue Yang had placed the talismans on. 

Which brought him to A-Qing. He looked over at her and her paper hands. She had been holding the doll before he placed the talismans on, giving it plenty of time and motive to move from the paper doll body to her own.

"I told you the doll was possessed," Xue Yang sneered, walking over to put the doll back down in the coffin. "Now it's moved on to A-Qing."

He was less than amiable at being awoken so early in the morning, whether because a rat ran across A-Qing's body or because her hands had turned to paper. Hadn't he told Xiao Xingchen yesterday that talismans would be next to useless against the paper doll? It only served the Daozhang right that this had happened.

"I don't wanna be possessed!" A-Qing wailed. Xiao Xingchen patted her head, trying to comfort her. Xue Yang added more coal to the furnace in an attempt to heat up the room.

He found A-Qing to be annoying. Always underfoot, messing up his plans to seduce Xiao Xingchen. Her wailing was giving him a headache and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. But he also understood what it was like to lose one finger. A-Qing had lost all ten, her entire hands now useless. He had to find a way to get her hands back, if only to stop her cries. He ran his thumb across the nub that was the pinky of his left hand. She was so stupid, trying to keep a possessed paper doll.

An hour later, A-Qing was down to sniffling instead of wailing while Xiao Xingchen checked her pulse. Xue Yang sat by the furnace, wrapped up in his own blanket as he tried to keep warm. He was sure that he could easily find the spirit inhabiting A-Qing's body, but Xiao Xingchen seemed to be struggling with it. Learning to feel out a person's spirit--and whether there was an intruding one trying to inhabit the body--was something cultivators learned early on in their education. Though Xue Yang's own cultivation education had been relatively short, he at least knew that much.

"Daozhang," he called out from his place by the furnace. "Are you having trouble? Shouldn't the spirit be in her hands?"

"It should," Xiao Xingchen agreed, changing the position of his hand to hold onto A-Qing's other wrist. "But I don't feel an intruding force. it's almost as if..."

Xue Yang perked up as Xiao Xingchen trailed off. Though the Daozhang was terrible at feeling out people, he had proven to be accomplished when it came to other aspects of cultivation. Something that puzzled Xiao Xingchen was bound to be more interesting than sitting around the fire all day.

"As if what, Daozhang?" he asked eagerly. "Don't tell me you can't find a pesky little spirit."

"I can't," Xiao Xingchen replied. A-Qing let out a small sob and started to cry again. Xue Yang sighed and finally rose from the furnace, walking closer to pick up the girl's wrist himself.

"Let go of me!" A-Qing demanded, trying to pull her wrist back. "I don't want you to touch me, only Daozhang!"

"Only Daozhang!" Xue Yang mocked as he held tightly to her wrist. "We could just cut off your hands, and then you wouldn't have to worry. How would you like that? We can even use Daozhang's sword!"

Xiao Xingchen was right. Though the spirit should have been possessing her hands, it was nowhere to be found. In rare cases, the spirit could travel to other parts of her body and wreck havoc there. Yet Xue Yang couldn't find an entire soul. There was only a shred of something that might once have been a soul. It shouldn't have been able to possess anything, much less A-Qing. What kind of soul was this?

"No!" A-Qing screamed, tugging her wrist back. Xue Yang let her have it, finally.

"That's enough," Xiao Xingchen replied. There was steel in his voice, a sure sign Xue Yang had overstepped his bounds again. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we'll leave your stupid, useless hands alone," Xue Yang sighed dramatically. Why wasn't there an entire spirit inside of A-Qing? Had some of it been left partially in the doll to dissipate once Xue Yang had stuck talismans to it? But even then, that wouldn't explain why her hands had turned to paper. It was a conundrum, and an annoying one.

"My hands aren't useless!" A-Qing cried. After that, Xue Yang tuned her out. He went back to the furnace and picked up his book to read again. Let Xiao Xingchen deal with A-Qing coming to terms with that fact that her hands were gone. For that's what they were now, gone. She would be a cripple for life just because she had wanted to save a possessed paper doll. Xue Yang shut his book as he realized the implications. That would mean more work for him!

Xiao Xingchen managed to make A-Qing's blanket into a makeshift cloak for her as Xue Yang watched out of the corner of his eyes. He had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming next as Xiao Xingchen placed the paper doll into her arms. They were doubtless going to see Master Tian, the dollmaker, about this. Xue Yang drummed his fingertips across the cover of his book before rising and tossing the book onto the bed. He could sit by the furnace all day and be warm and bored. Or he could brave the cold to satisfy his curiosity. In the end, his curiosity won out.

The trip to Master Tian's was far too long and brutal for Xue Yang's tastes. The wind buffeted through the buildings of Yi City, a chill fog descending from the mountains as they walked. He pulled his outer robes tight around his body, but they provided no more warmth. Xiao Xingchen knocked on the door again. There was no answer. Xue Yang, annoyed, reached across the Daozhang's chest to pound on the door himself. Still no answer.

The day before, they had not suspected that this would turn into an emergency. There had been no rush to find Master Tian when they could simply find him another time and ask him. With A-Qing's hands made of paper, though, they were very concerned. Well, Xiao Xingchen was very concerned and Xue Yang just didn't want the brat crying about the loss of her hands all winter. He also didn't want to do the chores by himself.

"No answer," Xiao Xingchen murmured, more to himself than to either Xue Yang or A-Qing. To Xue Yang's surprise, it was Xiao Xingchen that took the initiative to push the door open with enough force to splinter the frame where it was locked to the door. Xue Yang felt a delicious tingle run through his body when he thought of how strong the Daozhang was, though Xiao Xingchen rarely showed it. Swordplay was more about finesse than strength, something Xiao Xingchen demonstrated with every movement.

Xue Yang followed him into the house, the stench of decay rankling his nose. A-Qing covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve as she entered. Xue Yang did not need to guess what was causing such a scent. He had been around corpses a plenty, and though Xiao Xingchen had less experience with such, a quick glance at his face showed that he also knew what was causing it.

"A-Qing, stay here," Xiao Xingchen ordered, his voice low. His lips were pulled into a grimace. He knew what awaited them further inside the house.

Xue Yang took the lead and opened the door to the bedroom. Though the cold had somewhat slowed the decay, it was clear that Master Tian had been dead for at least a few days. His face was mottled and pale, tongue protruding from his bloated mouth. A rope attached his neck to the ceiling, the sudden breeze Xue Yang had created from opening the door making it creak slightly.

"Friend?" Xiao Xingchen asked as he stepped into the room. His hand was on his sword, prepared to draw it at Xue Yang's command. He couldn't help but smile at the irony. He hesitated to draw his sword on a dead man, but should Master Tian have been poisoned, tongue cut out and gasping for help, Xiao Xingchen would have ended his life immediately. Instead, he waited for Xue Yang's eyes to be his guide.

"He's dead," Xue Yang said. "Hanged himself."

Xiao Xingchen drew his sword then, neatly cutting the creaking rope. Master Tian's body crashed to the floor. There was a yelp from the other room.

"What was that?" A-Qing demanded.

"Nothing!" Xue Yang called back quickly. "Don't worry about anything that you hear!"

It wasn't that he was worried about A-Qing coming in and finding out that Master Tian, the friend of hers that so willingly gave her LingLing, was dead and had been for a while. Xue Yang was worried that upon finding out her friend was dead, there would be a million questions that he and Xiao Xingchen couldn't answer to her face. He knew as much as Xiao Xingchen did, which was that there was a dead body of a prominent puppetmaker in front of them and he had been dead for less than a week.

"Aren't we in Master Tian's shop?" A-Qing demanded from the other room. Xue Yang moved forward to examine the body, Xiao Xingchen close behind him. "Is Master Tian here? What's going on back there? What's that smell?"

Neither of them answered her. Xiao Xingchen touched the dead man, exploring hands moving down his arm. Xue Yang lowered his voice, not wanting to alert A-Qing as to their exact predicament.

"I'm not a doctor, but I'd say he definitely died by the rope around his neck," Xue Yang explained.

"Are there any other wounds that indicate a struggle?" Xiao Xingchen asked. "What do his fingernails look like?"

"You're worried about his fingernails?" Xue Yang scoffed as he picked up the dead man's stiff hand. There was a piece of paper crunched inside of it.

"If there are injuries on his fingernails, it's possible that there was a struggle," Xiao Xingchen explained. Xue Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had investigated corpses for cause of death, at times, but generally he preferred to pull their resentful spirit back into the body and use it for himself. The cause of death was only a piece of useful information if it helped bring back the dead.

"I don't see any," Xue Yang commented as he began to pry the man's hand open. He carefully worked the piece of paper out of the death grip and smoothed it out as best he could. "There is a note, though."

"A suicide note?" Xiao Xingchen asked. Xue Yang nodded.

"According to this note," Xue Yang murmured. He read the note twice, trying to determine how much he should tell Xiao Xingchen. The note was a rambling mess, characters crammed onto the page erratically.

"Master Tian lost his only son a few months ago. He hired someone to try and bring his son back to life, but his soul was in pieces. So the man he hired gave him a way to save his son."

Xue Yang fell silent, taking in the words. It was an interesting concept, something that had barely been touched on during his own readings about the Yiling Patriarch. Yet Master Tian had managed to find someone that not only knew how to save a soul in pieces, but actually had been able to teach a normal man, not another cultivator, to do so. Xue Yang scanned the room, looking for any manuscripts Master Tian might have kept his notes in. Surely he had kept notes about his techniques, right?

"What way?" Xiao Xingchen's voice broke through his reverie.

"It doesn't say," Xue Yang quickly lied. "The note only says that he succeeded, but could no longer be a father to his son. So he took his life to hopefully meet his long-dead wife."

"It's that vague?" Xiao Xingchen demanded.

"Of course it is!" Xue Yang exclaimed. "He was clearly bereaved. It's amazing he left this much of a note!" He could see the mounting frustration on Xiao Xingchen's face and smirked slightly. "Why don't you go tell A-Qing the news and I'll look around here to see if I can find anything?"

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen replied. "We can't keep this from her."

The Daozhang rose and made his way to the front of his house. Xue Yang immediately began to search the room for any manuscripts that might contain an explanation of the man's technique. The letter had been a bit clearer than what he had explained to Xiao Xingchen. The question was, how had someone that had not cultivated either a golden core or resentment been able to capture his son's soul and implant pieces of it into the dolls he made?

A piece of a soul...it explained everything. The dolls Master Tian made were made not merely of paper, but also of his son's soul. The talismans he had made last night were intended to suppress and control any soul that inhabited the doll. They were too strong for a simple piece of a soul, however. Sensing danger, the remnant of the boy's soul had moved to the nearest safe haven. Except it hadn't been an entire soul.

Xue Yang found nothing obvious at Master Tian's worktable, nor did he easily find false floorboards or bricks in the wall that could have been a hiding place for such a thing. Surely he had hidden the manuscript from prying eyes, after all? Demonic cultivation like this was not something that he could simply flaunt in front of his customers or friends. Still, Xue Yang came up empty.

With a growing sense of apprehension, Xue Yang removed the cover to the furnace. Sure enough, there were more ashes than coal stocked in the furnace, all cold from disuse. The ashes were in the shape of pages, as if someone had stuffed a book inside of the furnace and expected the flame to do the rest of the work. That person, most likely Master Tian, had not been wrong.

"No," Xue Yang moaned as he stuck his hand inside. The ashes fell apart at his fingertips, coating his hand in soot. "No!"

Whatever technique Master Tian had used to implant his son's soul inside of the dolls, to salvage the pieces of his son's soul, was now ash inside of the furnace. It was exactly the kind of thing some stupid do-gooder would do so the knowledge didn't fall into the wrong hands. So it didn't fall into the hands of someone like Xue Yang. Granted, he had never had the need to piece a soul back together before.

Except that A-Qing's hands were still made of paper and with what Xue Yang knew, it wouldn't get any better for her. The son, Tian Ling...LingLing, was only part of a soul. There was no way to exorcise only part of a soul. There was no way to get it to move on, or to eliminate it without harming A-Qing. He had a feeling that he would never get Xiao Xingchen to agree to kill A-Qing. It probably wouldn't look good if he suggested it, either.

Xiao Xingchen entered the room, A-Qing in tow. With her hands turned to paper, she couldn't keep ahold of her bamboo pole to tap it. She let out a sob as she found the body of Master Tian and sank down beside it. Xue Yang rolled his eyes in annoyance.

He was bitter and upset at the loss of such knowledge. Some _idiots_ never realized that by ridding the world of knowledge, even knowledge that could be used for an evil purpose, they were only exposing everyone to more danger. Hadn't it been the Yiling Patriarch that had overthrown the Wen Clan during the Sunshot Campaign, after all, with his demonic cultivation? Was it not his compass of evil and spirit attraction flags that were used by cultivators everywhere? Was it not the very knowledge he had gotten, ill-gained through his own immoral and unethical experiments, that had saved a multitude of people? Xue Yang couldn't stand short-sighted people like Master Tian, who so easily burned knowledge.

"Did you find anything?" Xiao Xingchen's voice was low, and close to him. In his anger, Xue Yang had remained kneeling by the cold furnace, glaring at the body of Master Tian. Xiao Xingchen knelt next to him, giving A-Qing a moment alone to fervently wish her friend's soul well.

"Not really," Xue Yang gritted out. He forced his attention to Xiao Xingchen. There was no point in keeping the information from him now, not when the knowledge Xue Yang needed was mere ashes in his hand. "I think he may have implanted the parts of his son's soul into paper dolls and given them away to people. So LingLing is really a part of Tian Ling's soul, now residing in Little Blind."

"We'll talk about this later, then," Xiao Xingchen said quietly. "Not in front of A-Qing."

It was Xiao Xingchen's way of quietly telling Xue Yang not to rub her miserable fate into her face. He knew as well as Xue Yang did that there was no hope in a situation like this. A-Qing's hands would forever be paper and Xue Yang would have to do her chores. An able-bodied man living with two blind ones, one of which couldn't even hold a bamboo pole. Losing one finger was bad enough. To lose all ten in one day... It would be more of a mercy to kill her.

"Fine," Xue Yang gritted out. "What are we going to do with the body?"


	11. December: Part 3

He should have know that Master Tian's body would be carried back with them. Xue Yang agreed to carry it reluctantly. He should have tried to summon Master Tian's spirit back and turn it into a walking corpse. Instead, he and Xiao Xingchen wrapped the body in a cotton quilt. The work was done quietly, with A-Qing sobbing nearby and trying to wipe her eyes with her sleeves.   


"If you cry too hard, Little Blind, your paper hands will melt from your tears," he joked. 

"Stop it," Xiao Xingchen admonished. A-Qing cried harder. It was a long, windy walk back to the coffin house. Together, he and Xiao Xingchen laid Master Tian in one of the coffins in the yard. The ground was still frozen, too hard to dig into. 

"H-he had a cousin in Beiqiu," A-Qing gasped, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. 

"We will inform them," Xiao Xingchen said kindly. He ushered her inside and out of the wind as Xue Yang covered the coffin and nailed it into place. Aside from what he took from the people when he night-hunted, the coffin home was still a business, though not a lucrative one. Dead bodies came and went, and if they were lucky people paid them a pittance for their trouble of storing the bodies. 

It wasn't until late that night with A-Qing asleep in her coffin that Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang had a chance to be alone together. The wind had finally let up from its howling, making the house warmer and less drafty for a change. No longer tied to the heater, Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen ducked outside to speak, both wrapped in their individual blankets. The weather was brisk, but bearable.

"Tomorrow, we should go dig up the doll we buried a few months ago," Xiao Xingchen started. Xue Yang pictured a cold walk and trying to dig into the frozen ground. "And then go to Beiqiu and try to find Master Tian's cousin. If we can find the other parts of Tian Ling's soul, we may be able to put them back together and exorcise the spirit from A-Qing's body."

"Daozhang," Xue Yang sighed and leaned against the wall of the house. "Winter has just started and you're already talking about walking far distances and digging up paper dolls we buried months ago. Little Blind doesn't even have hands and you're so cruel to leave her here to fend for herself..."

"No," Xiao Xingchen said. "She will be coming with us."

Going out on a night hunt with Xiao Xingchen, even in the middle of winter, was probably something Xue Yang would have agreed to with just a bit more persuasion. Adding A-Qing to their journey had the opposite effect. Not only would they be deprived of the furnace and shelter from the biting wind, but they would also have to drag _her_ along, paper hands and all. It was enough to make Xue Yang's lips twitch into a grimace. What a liability.

"So you're going to drag a poor, handless girl out to Beiqiu and wherever else instead?" Xue Yang changed his tactic. "Why don't we wait until Spring to do this? We can split her chores between us. You can be the one the feed her, though."

"Why are you like this?" Xiao Xingchen's voice was flat, as if he was trying hard not to express emotion. Xue Yang could feel the tension radiating off of him. "If you don't want to come, then don't. A-Qing and I will leave tomorrow."

Xue Yang stared at him in shock as some unknown emotion stabbed him in the chest. Was it jealousy for the way Xiao Xingchen was so concerned about A-Qing? Or was he simply angry that his plan to seduce and corrupt Xiao Xingchen seemed to be failing? Xue Yang was unable to immediately define the mix of emotions that struck him at Xiao Xingchen's easy willingness to leave him. It was an uncomfortable feeling and not one he had the luxury to dwell on in that moment.

"Daozhang," he said, crossing his arms as a gust of wind leapt up again. "I'm hurt. You know I want to come. It's just that we spent so much time preparing this place for winter."

"Things change," Xiao Xingchen replied before Xue Yang could think of another excuse. "Be ready to leave tomorrow, or don't. A-Qing needs this."

With that, Xiao Xingchen turned and went back into their house, leaving him in the cold. Xue Yang let out a breath, reeling from the sudden change in direction of the conversation. Every time he thought he was making progress with Xiao Xingchen, getting closer to him, something happened. Just yesterday, they had gone to a teahouse together and shared their thoughts. Today, he was willing to leave Xue Yang if it meant helping A-Qing. 

What had happened to the Xiao Xingchen that was hesitant to mow down an entire village of walking corpses? What happened to the Daozhang that had just yesterday expressed the idea that elimination and suppression were not the only ways to deal with a rampant spirit? Had he not pointed out that a spirit's wish could be granted instead to release it? Now he seemed set on eliminating the spirit of LingLing if it meant getting A-Qing back.

There was something that he relished about the way Xiao Xingchen was so devoted to the things he loved. There was no doubt that he loved A-Qing, which meant that Xue Yang had had to tiptoe around the little brat for the past ten months. He had always made the most progress when she was out of the picture and they were on night-hunts together. Now, once more she had thrown a wrench into his plans for revenge. He _needed_ Xiao Xingchen to trust him, and that meant going on a ridiculous trip to Beiqiu in the middle of the winter. He was not looking forward to it. 

A vicious part of him wondered if Xiao Xingchen would be so willing to do this if it were him that could no longer use his hands. Would he have been willing to leave A-Qing behind, too? In this war between them for the Daozhang's trust and affection, A-Qing was proving to be fierce competition. Xue Yang would have admired her if she weren't so unbelievably annoying. Things would be easier if she weren't around. 

Xue Yang walked into the house, latching the door behind him before he added coal to the furnace. Xiao Xingchen already sat near it, wrapped in his thin, brown blanket and wearing a grave expression on his face. Xue Yang took a seat next to him, watching him for several long moments before speaking. 

"You know I'll go with you," he finally muttered. "But I'm doing it for you, not her."

"I know," Xiao Xingchen replied, his voice equally as low. "Thank you."

Ironic how Xiao Xingchen was thanking him for coming along while Xue Yang was intending to find a way to get rid of A-Qing once and for all. He just needed to find a way to do so that would hold him blameless. Xiao Xingchen had proven to be abnormally perceptive to his mechanisms. Just that past summer, had he not called Xue Yang out concerning his altercation with that healer? Xue Yang wished he could go back to that time, when the result of such an action was a lecture and not a threat to leave. How could he possibly get revenge if Xiao Xingchen left? 

"I want this over with as much as you do," Xue Yang replied. "If she doesn't have hands, she can't do chores! It's annoying."

Xiao Xingchen's lips twitched into the barest hint of a smile and he reached out to pat Xue Yang on the head, as he often did with A-Qing. Except his hand slipped this time. Was it an accident that his hand stroked down Xue Yang's hair instead, fingers lightly tracing his hair ornament? The gesture sobered Xue Yang as a feeling of warmth suddenly blossomed in his chest. It wasn't the glee of knowing that Xiao Xingchen was petting his worst enemy or the delight of so easily regaining Xiao Xingchen's trust again. It was the exact kind of feeling that Xue Yang didn't want to have for the Daozhang. 

"I should go to bed," he quickly excused himself, rising as soon as Xiao Xingchen had retracted his hand. "Don't stay up too long, Daozhang. We should leave early tomorrow."

Xue Yang laid down on the bed and closed his eyes, feeling that slight touch on his hair still. There had been nothing sexual about it, but it was intimate all the same. It made Xue Yang's body crawl with affection in a way it shouldn't have. It was just a slip of the hand, he told himself. Xiao Xingchen had just moments ago threatened to leave Xue Yang by himself in the coffin home for the winter. He should be enraged, snarling at Xiao Xingchen and cowering him into submission. He should be slitting A-Qing's throat to get her out of the way. He shouldn't be relishing in a tiny touch that meant nothing. It was just a slip of the hand. 

Xue Yang seethed in his bed until morning, his own anger keeping him warm throughout the night. He thought of hundreds of ways to kill A-Qing and several ways to prevent Xiao Xingchen from ever leaving his side, from ever _threatening_ to leave his side again. He had dismissed almost every one of them as being impractical. The only idea that remained was exacerbating A-Qing's current situation. He would have to be careful, but it could be done in silence, without Xiao Xingchen catching on. Maybe. He planned. 

They were silent as they made preparations for the walk to the next town. Xue Yang successfully convinced himself that Xiao XIngchen's hand had merely slipped the night before. He stuffed his book into his pack, grateful that the two blind people in the room couldn't read. The book was hearsay from a doubtful source, but it had a few gems of information. At worst, he could sell it for money and grab them a room at an inn. If anyone would purchase such a book. 

The walk was longer than he would have liked, but they arrived at the spot where they had buried the previous paper doll before the sun was high in the sky. Xiao Xingchen dug the hole while Xue Yang stood back and watched. Though Xiao Xingchen was fully clothed, Xue Yang could see the way his body twisted with each downward thrust of the shovel, the way his shoulders flexed with every yank of the shovel from the cold, frozen earth. A-Qing stood beside Xue Yang, shivering in the wind and hiding her hands in her sleeves. 

"How far down did you bury the doll?" A-Qing demanded. Xue Yang shot her a look before turning back to Xiao Xingchen. 

"We did our job _properly_ ," he told her. "So of course it's buried deeply."

"And you're making the Daozhang dig all by himself!" A-Qing burst out. "Why don't you help and then we'll be here only half the time?"

"There's only one shovel," Xue Yang replied dismissively. He was awarded with her scowl and a sound of frustration. 

After a while, Xiao Xingchen's shovel hit the wood of the lotus wood box. Xue Yang sprang forward then, grateful for a chance to actually speed up the process. He pushed the dirt away from the box and pulled it from the ground. The talismans were still on the box. He pulled them off and opened it, revealing the first paper doll. He smirked, ready to put his plan into action. 

"It's still here," he reported to Xiao Xingchen. "Let's take it with us and head to Beiqiu quickly. It shouldn't harm us as long as we don't try to harm it."

There was no argument from Xiao Xingchen. Xue Yang closed the box once more and took it with them as they made for Beiqiu. It made sense to Xue Yang that while they had not done anything to intentionally harm the doll such as throw it into a fire, there was still a chance that whatever shred of soul left inside the doll might harbor a bit of resentment towards them for locking it up and burying it in the ground. Xue Yang hoped that this was the case. He hoped the talismans they had placed on the box hadn't completely eliminated the shred of spirit inside.

There was no inn for them to stop in that night. Instead, they ended up in a barn, grateful for the shelter and the meager meal the owners' provided to the traveling cultivators. Xiao Xingchen insisted on paying them for their kindness, as usual. The Daoxhang left Xue Yang and A-Qing alone to go help the family with their chores. It was only then that Xue Yang pulled the box out and opened it. 

He lifted out the doll inside. He examined it closely, looking past the paper shell to the spirit inside. His initial thought had been that there was no chance that a partial spirit would have a chance against his suppression talismans, even if they had been only on the outside box. As he looked closer, he saw that he had been wrong. Whatever Master Tian had done, however he had done it...it appeared as though the spirit of the boy was infused into the very paper the doll was made of. His eyes flicked over to A-Qing.

"Little Blind," he called. "Do you think this doll looks like LingLing?"

"How am I supposed to know what a doll looks like?" she demanded fiercely. "You're just making fun of me because I'm blind again!"

"Why would I do that?" Xue Yang smirked. "Daozhang's blind and he's very capable. If you're not, it doesn't have anything to do with your blindness! Now here, see if this doll is also LingLing."

"How can there be two LingLings?" A-Qing retorted. Still, she held out her hands and Xue Yang settled the doll into her arms. They were just stiff enough to hold it. She frowned for a moment as she held the doll.

"I can't tell," she said at last. "I can't feel anything."

Xue Yang reached over and snagged the original doll she had brought home, the real LingLing. He took off the talisman jacket and shoved the doll into the box, closing the lid again. 

"It doesn't matter," he sighed, pretending not to care. "Here, put the jacket on this one instead. Your other doll isn't possessed anymore, so you need to take care of the one we have that's still harboring a spirit."

"I don't know anything about these things," A-Qing shook her head. "But if the jacket scared LingLing, then I'm not putting it onto this doll."

"See if I care," Xue Yang shrugged, laying back on the makeshift bed of straw. "But think about it. Your hands are already paper. If we can figure out a way to make LingLing's spirit go into the doll you're holding, we can gather all of them in there. Then LingLing can move on to the next life and you won't have paper hands anymore."

A-Qing was quiet for a moment and Xue Yang wondered how much Xiao Xingchen had actually told her. More and more, he was finding that the Daozhang was full of surprises. Xue Yang expected him to move one way, and he moved another. It wasn't a bad thing, exactly. Xiao Xingchen moving towards lying and subterfuge only made Xue Yang's corruption more liable to take. It was just unnerving that he couldn't predict Xiao Xingchen's next moves. Why had Xiao Xingchen been so willing to leave him behind?

"Is that how it really is?" she finally asked. "LingLing will go back into the doll and I'll get my hands back?"

"Yes," Xue Yang nodded quickly. "But it's only part of his spirit, so we have to collect them all. Only then will he move out of your body and into a doll's body so we can send him off gracefully."

"Why wouldn't the Daozhang tell me that himself?" A-Qing demanded. "He wouldn't lie to me!"

"Sure he would," Xue Yang smirked. "If he thought he was being nice and not worrying you. He lies to me, too, especially when he's hurt and doesn't want to worry me. Especially if there’s nothing he can do about it.”

A-Qing shut her mouth and glared at him. She had no response because she, like Xue Yang, knew how kind Xiao Xingchen was. While she would never have expected him to outright lie to her, Xiao Xingchen telling her a brutal truth for no reason seemed to be just as unthinkable.

"The Daozhang doesn't _get_ hurt," she pouted after a moment. "He's too good for that."

Xue Yang smirked, knowing that that was not true. It only proved his point that Xiao Xingchen was not one to burden others' with his care unless he absolutely had to. 

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Sure he is."


	12. December: Part 4

They reached the Qinghe city of Beiqiu within a few days, where Xue Yang offered to get them a room while Xiao Xingchen began to canvas the area for Master Tian's relatives. He waited until the Daozhang had left before going his own way. While A-Qing was an accomplished pickpocket normally, Xue Yang couldn't depend on her skills now. He would have to do things his own way.   


Xue Yang found a target and waited in a nearby alley. It wasn't overly long before the man waltzed out of the winehouse, already drunk though it was barely past noon. His target weaved over to the side of the building to relieve himself. Xue Yang attacked. Soon Xue Yang had a decently full money bag and a dead body on his hands. 

He relished the scent of blood in the air as he turned the man into a walking corpse. There wasn't a lot of resentment in a man that could carry around this much money, but Xue Yang didn't need much. Rich men cared about the pettiest of things, after all. 

Stuck in Yi City with the watchful Xiao Xingchen, he didn't get to exercise his skills nearly as much as he wanted to. Out on night-hunts he had a bit more freedom to move around under the guise of helping Xiao Xingchen while he accomplished his own goals. Likewise, Beiqiu was a larger city where things just _happened_. Crime was probably rampant, but more than that, a walking corpse or two would be expected from time to time due to the sheer amount of people around. 

"Listen up," he told the corpse as it sat up. "We're looking for relatives of a Master Tian Su, who lives in Yi City. Be an obedient puppet and go find them, won't you? Make sure they don't survive."

The corpse stared at him with glazed, white eyes before turning and shambling off down the alleyway. Xue Yang counted the coins from the man's purse and put them into his own. It was a modest amount. Enough to get them the room at the inn and some food for a few nights, but not enough to make anyone start to wonder where he had gotten such a windfall. Specifically, not enough for Xiao Xingchen to wonder. 

Xue Yang went back to the inn and paid for a single large room with two beds. A-Qing would get her own, of course, but he and Xiao Xingchen would share a bed that night. That, or Xiao Xingchen would choose to honorably and stupidly sleep on the cold floor. Xue Yang specifically requested a room on the ground floor of the inn in hopes of preventing just such an occurrence. Xiao Xingchen wouldn't be able to help A-Qing, after all, if he came down with a cold. It was much better to share a bed with Xue Yang. 

Once he entered the room and saw the layout, there was a small pang of discomfort in his chest. His motives for getting a room with only two beds would be obvious to Xiao Xingchen. He surely could have paid a little extra for the third bed. If he argued against Xiao Xingchen sleeping on the floor or didn't offer to sleep on the floor himself, then the Daozhang would know his aim was to share the bed. And what motive would Xue Yang have to share his bed?

He let out a sigh of frustration as he paced around the room, cursing his short-sightedness. After the incident where he had nearly kissed Xiao Xingchen, they had not shared a bed. The topic had come up a few times, but Xiao Xingchen always declined. It was infuriating. What was more infuriating was that if Xue Yang were to set up a situation--which he had--where they would be forced to share a bed, then the trust he had worked so hard to gain would trickle away like grave dirt from his hand. After Xiao Xingchen had been so willing to leave him...how much trust was there between them, really? 

Xue Yang stalked out the room with an irritated stride, heading towards the rendezvous point with Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing. There was a teahouse on the edge of town whose prices were not too high. He sat outside, huddled up against the building and waiting for the other two to arrive. He could have gone inside; there was enough money in the man's purse to get himself a pot of tea, after all. But still he hesitated at showing off so much wealth in front of Xiao Xingchen. He was sure that the man must know by now that Xue Yang and A-Qing both had their ways of getting money aside from the storage of corpses at the coffin house. As long as Xiao Xingchen did not mention it, though, neither of them dared to flaunt what little wealth they had. 

Thankfully, he did not have to wait too long for Xiao Xingchen to return. A-Qing followed, clutching her paper doll to her chest. The one that Master Tian had given her was safely inside of the lotus chest in their room. This was the one that had been thrown into the furnace by multiple family members, only to have their house burn down the next day. It reminded Xue Yang that getting rid of the paper doll's spirit, LingLing, would not be an easy task. 

Though her robes hid her arms, Xue Yang suspected that it was no longer just her hands that were made of paper. After their conversation a few days ago, A-Qing had stopped complaining so much about her inability to use her hands. Much as Xue Yang had hoped, she had taken his words to heart. If the Daozhang did not mention something because he didn't want to worry them, then it was fine for A-Qing to do the same. Xiao Xingchen was doing everything in his power to save her, after all. Complaining about her symptoms worsening would only worry him unnecessarily.   


Xiao Xingchen's plan was surely just as Xue Yang had told A-Qing. Gather up all of the paper dolls and combine their partial spirits into just the one paper doll. Then the spirit fragment in A-Qing would surely be drawn to the others. Xue Yang's plan was a bit more insidious. As far as he could tell, Xiao Xingchen did not know that he had switched out the paper dolls. 

"There you are," he announced himself as they walked up. Xiao Xingchen had a hand on A-Qing's shoulder, leading her through the crowd. "I got us a room for the night. Did you have any luck finding Master Tian's relatives?"

Xue Yang suspected that if they had had no luck, they would soon find them either way. After all, there was a walking corpse wandering the streets now, seeking the same prey they did. Xue Yang hoped that the walking corpse found and took care of the relatives first. If there were no leads, then A-Qing would turn into a doll, for sure. He walked with them as they headed towards the inn. 

"We did," Xiao Xingchen nodded. "We spoke to his cousin and informed her of his death. Master Tian had sent her a few paper dolls and asked her to give them to good homes. Two of them are here in Beiqiu, so we should be able to find them with no issue."

"Good," Xue Yang nodded and glanced back at A-Qing. As usual these days, she was silent as she was guided through the streets, woodenly clutching the doll to her chest. "What about you, Little Blind? How are your hands feeling?"

A-Qing cast a glare at him and moved to the other side of Xiao Xingchen. She had become increasingly quiet over the past few days and began to avoid Xue Yang. Probably because he was the first and only one to joke with her about the state of her hands. His pity for her, founded on the loss of his own pinky, had dwindled within days. She was so useless now, after all. His plan was helping her as much as it was assisting him.

"Let's get something to eat," Xiao Xingchen suggested before they could begin bickering again. 

When they returned to the inn, they sat in the warm common room while the innkeeper served them bowls of egg noodles. Instead of eating his own, Xiao Xingchen carefully fed the contents of a bowl to A-Qing, who seemed rather good at finding the food at the end of the chopsticks. Xue Yang watched in morbid fascination at the way the two interacted, like blind mother bird and chick. He tore his gaze away at last and ate his own noodles in silence. 

He imagined what would have happened if it had been Xiao Xingchen's hands that had turned to paper instead. Would Xue Yang do the same for him, feeding him ever so carefully, dabbing the food from his face tenderly? Of course not, he told himself. And yet...was that not ownership? Whether Xiao XIngchen was made of paper or of rags, he was Xue Yang's property. Shouldn't he then make sure the Daozhang was well cared for?

Xue Yang remembered the slide of fingers against his hair and stared down into his bowl, chopsticks coming to a standstill. That alien feeling of warmth was in his chest again when he thought of taking care of Xiao Xingchen like the Daozhang currently did for A-Qing. It was affection, he thought. Did he really feel affection for his enemy, Xiao Xingchen? Or did he feel affection for him only because Xiao Xingchen was his? _Was_ Xiao Xingchen really his?

"Your noodles are growing cold, Daozhang," he spoke up, desperate to banish his thoughts away. There was no room for doubt. Once A-Qing was out of the way, he could explore alternate methods of revenge against Xiao Xingchen. Until then, he _had_ to cultivate trust and only trust with him.

"It's fine," Xiao Xingchen replied softly. "A-Qing, have you had enough?"

"I have, Daozhang!" A-Qing quickly agreed. "You should eat, too. Cold noodles are gross."

On very rare occasions, Xue Yang felt a grudging respect for A-Qing. She was annoying, yes, but she had her moments. Now, with her own bowl barely half-eaten, was one of them. He knew she was probably still starving, yet she insisted on Xiao Xingchen eating as well. Just as she hadn't mentioned her stiff arms. It seemed that A-Qing was in the mood to hide things from Xiao Xingchen and save him some worry. 

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen replied before breaking into his own bowl. Xue Yang lifted A-Qing's bowl and traded it with his own, the sound lost in the hubbub of the inn. Smirking, he began to eat the rest of her noodles, as well. 

After the late lunch they had, Xue Yang set out with them to find the two paper dolls in town. Master Tian's cousin seemed to give them good directions and it wasn't long before they were able to locate both of them. Both families nearly thrust the dolls into Xiao Xingchen's hands upon finding out he was a cultivator.

"That was easy," Xue Yang drawled. It was nearing sunset as they wandered back to the inn, Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang each carrying a doll. "They couldn't wait to get rid of these dolls, but neither of them had the face to give them back to Master Tian's cousin."

"You couldn't wait to get rid of ours, either," Xiao Xingchen noted. "After what has happened to the first family that had a doll and now A-Qing, I don't blame them. There could have been even more tragedy."

"As long as they have good homes," Xue Yang considered, "then they appear to be fine...aside from moving around by themselves. It's only when the dolls are put in danger that they react." 

Xue Yang opened the door to the room and ushered them in. As Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing found their way to the small table at the center of the room, he took out the lotus box that contained the doll Master Tian had given to A-Qing. Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen placed their respective dolls on the table, as well the doll within the lotus box. A-Qing held hers tightly.

"I admit," Xiao Xingchen said after a moment. "I am not sure what our next step is. I had hoped that gathered all into one place, the lost spirit in these dolls would find each other and coalescence into one body by themselves."

Xiao Xingchen's plan might have worked, too, if there were three dolls on the table that each had a fragment of spirit. But Xue Yang knew that one doll was merely paper, its essence long since left from its body. 

"Why don't we add A-Qing's doll, then?" Xue Yang suggested with a smirk on his face. He turned to her. "You don't mind giving LingLing up, do you?"

It occurred to him, then, that A-Qing had the ability to bring his entire plan crashing down. She knew that he had swapped out the dolls. She must have figured out by now that her symptoms were getting worse because of the new paper doll she held. Why hadn't she said anything yet? Was it because she didn't want to bother Xiao Xingchen? Or was she waiting for just the right moment to spring her trap and destroy anything between Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang?

"Daozhang," A-Qing sighed. Xue Yang's heart hammered in his chest. How much was she going to hide from Xiao Xingchen? How much would she reveal?

"I don't think your plan is going to work. LingLing gets stronger every day. These dolls are so little and I'm so big. Why would he want to go back into a little doll when he can possess me, instead?"

"What do you mean, LingLing gets stronger every day?" the Daozhang demanded. His lips pressed together thinly as the logic of her statement settled in.

"I didn't want to worry you," A-Qing murmured, turning her eyes to the ground. "At first it was just my hands, but then it was my wrists and my arms. Every day more of me turns to paper. So I don't understand how gathering all of the other dolls up together is going to help!"

So far, she had not mentioned how it was Xue Yang's idea for her to carry the new doll with her. Surely her symptoms had gotten worse after he had made the switch. Wasn't it just like her to try to blame him for this? Since he was a fellow cultivator, Xiao Xingchen would expect to him to have known better. They should have kept the dolls far away from A-Qing until they could gather enough to put a large chunk of LingLing's soul back together.

"Daozhang," Xue Yang quickly jumped in, trying to cover his tracks. "We have three dolls here, as well as the spirit inside of A-Qing. I don't know much about soul fragments or how they work. Perhaps they are attracted to her more because she's alive. In that case, even if we had found a way to piece all of the soul fragments inside of a single doll, it may still jump to her body because of the single fragment inside of it."

He barely noticed his own slip of the tongue, using her name instead of the nickname 'Little Blind'. No one else seemed to notice it, either; or if they did, they did not bother speaking of it. He needed to calm down and think through his words before he spoke. There was a sense of desperation in his stomach as he imagined Xiao Xingchen kicking him out of the room, abandoning him like Jin Guangyao had done. He had worked so hard to gain Xiao Xingchen's trust, to mold him into someone that wouldn't mind Xue Yang's fun side, but lately he had to wonder if his hard work had paid off at all. 

"You may be right," Xiao Xingchen murmured. Xue Yang could nearly see the wheels turning in his mind. "A-Qing, you shouldn't have hidden this. We could have taken you back to the coffin house instead..."

He trailed off as he realized what he was implying. No, there had been no other way. Xiao Xingchen had to be the one to take care of A-Qing, no matter if they stayed in Yi City or if he had dragged her all across Qinghe. Xue Yang was here for Xiao XIngchen, as he had told him earlier. He would never have allowed Xiao Xingchen to leave on his own to find the dolls, nor would he have willingly left the comfort of their Yi City home to galavant around Qinghe by himself and look for the dolls. There was no other way that this could have turned out, and Xiao Xingchen knew this. 

"It's okay, Daozhang," A-Qing said. She tried to keep her voice as upbeat as usual. "The annoying one said that once you have enough of the spirit inside of one of these dolls, you can exorcise it. But I've seen you exorcise people, too, haven't you?"

Xiao Xingchen turned his head towards Xue Yang and for a moment, he thought he had been caught. Xue Yang's hand began to creep towards the hilt of the knife he kept hidden in his belt, more out of his own assurance than an intention to use it. What would he do, anyway? Slit A-Qing's throat? Stab Xiao Xingchen? Neither option would get him his revenge. 

"Yes, that's...possible," Xiao Xingchen replied. He continued to look at Xue Yang, the brows peeking out from his bandages furrowed. "But incredibly dangerous. If LingLing's spirit takes over your body completely, we won't be able to exorcise it. And if we don't get enough shards, we won't be able to do it, either. I don't know that these shards are enough."

Xue Yang shifted uncomfortably at Xiao XIngchen's continued attention. As far as he could tell, there were spiritual fragments from two dolls inside of A-Qing. Putting more inside of her would only speed up the process and if they couldn't get enough spiritual essence to exorcise before the paper took her over, then there would be nothing left of A-Qing at all. This had been Xue Yang's plan all along; he simply hadn't expected Xiao Xingchen to catch on so quickly. 

"Then Daozhang," A-Qing continued, blind to Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen's apparent staring match. "What if we wait to put these shards into me until we get more dolls?"

"There's no way of telling how many shards are enough," Xue Yang spoke up. He had to make it seem like he cared about A-Qing's fate. It was beyond annoying how this little brat had been able to wrap Xiao Xingchen around her finger in a way Xue Yang had failed at. "The more of LingLing's spirit you gather, the fastest it will be to take over your body. If we get too many, then the spirit will take over your body before we can save you."

"Oh," A-Qing sighed, her eyes dropping to her hands. "So you just have to put his spirit inside me from the dolls and hope there's just enough, but not too much. Daozhang, how are you going to do it?"

Xiao Xingchen's lips pressed firmly together as he clenched his hands on the table. Xue Yang waited in silence for Xiao Xingchen to speak. So far, the Daozhang hadn't confronted him about what he had told A-Qing. A-Qing hadn't revealed that he had switched the dolls. If he spoke now, he worried that it would shatter the fragile balance he teetered on. A-Qing must know by now the significance of the doll Xue Yang had switched out. Why wasn't she telling Xiao Xingchen? Why wasn't she outing Xue Yang to him? All she needed to do was open her mouth and say something and Xiao Xingchen would probably kick Xue Yang out into the cold. 

"We have three dolls here," Xiao Xingchen replied solemnly. "And Master Tian's cousin told us of another person who brought a few back to her village. If we go to that village and collect the dolls, we can add them one at a time and see if it will be enough to exorcise."

It was, unfortunately, the best kind of plan A-Qing could hope for, survival-wise. Without his intervention, the plan had an equal chance of succeeding or failing. Xue Yang wanted to make sure it failed. At the same time, he couldn't risk Xiao Xingchen finding out about his part in it. If he could swap out the dolls again...but no, A-Qing was holding one in her arms. There was no way to switch it out without her knowing. 

"We could go back there tomorrow," Xue Yang suggested, "and see if the cousin knows anything else."

"That won't be necessary," Xiao Xingchen added mildly. "Let's find something for dinner and get some rest. We'll leave for the next village in the morning."

Xue Yang shrugged and began to gather up the paper dolls. He was able to fit all three of them inside of the lotus box and quickly sealed the box with a talisman for suppression. He did _not_ want to go a single night with two possessed dolls wandering around loose in the room. 

Xiao Xingchen rose and left the room to have the innkeeper bring dinner up to them. Xue Yang knew that this was his possibly his only chance to speak to A-Qing alone. 

"Little Blind," he hissed in a hushed tone. "Are you still hiding things from the Daozhang? Why didn't you tell him that I switched the dolls?"

"You think it matters?" A-Qing retorted. "So what if I did tell him? It was spreading before you did that, I could feel it! All you did was speed it up, you stupid pig embryo! And if I told him, he'd kick you out and then I'd have to do all the chores by myself!"

Xue Yang laughed. Her reason for not wanting him to leave was the same he had for not getting rid of her. It was an excuse, not wanting to do chores by themselves. That's all it really was. She would get rid of Xue Yang in a heartbeat just as he would do the same to her. But it all came back to Xiao Xingchen in the end. The Daozhang would most certainly banish him into the cold for hurting A-Qing out of anger, out of a sense of duty. But could his fragile heart take it? Xue Yang hadn't considered such a thought before. 

If he could own Xiao Xingchen, make him love Xue Yang, use him in every way, then leave? Wouldn't that be such great revenge? He could leave Xiao Xingchen, aching and begging him to come back. Then, just when Xiao Xingchen couldn't take it anymore, he would return, scoop Xiao Xingchen up and make him his all over again. 

"Is that the deal then?" he demanded. "I do your chores and you stay silent about the doll?"

"No!" A-Qing said. "You _fix_ this and I'll stay silent about the doll."

"I'm barely a cultivator," Xue Yang replied. "How do I have the power to fix you? And what would the doll matter at all if I did fix you?"

He watched as her lip trembled and she started to turn away from him. It was flattering to know that she had confidence in his abilities instead of believing he was the useless lump on the log he typically pretended to be. But it was also very, very dangerous to have his rivals not underestimating him. 

"Alright, alright. Let me take a look," he stood up and walked around the table to grab her arm. It was made of solid paper all the way up to her shoulder. How interesting, that it was spreading so quickly with only two soul fragments inside of her. Inside was the semblance of a soul, moreso than the last piece had been. The soul had been infused by the paper the dolls were made of, and now it was slowly fusing to A-Qing's soul. 

Souls put up a natural resistant to possession. If they didn't, there would be possessed people everywhere from all of the angry spirits trying to grab bodies of their own. In fact, if the boy's spirit fragment were the only thing possessing A-Qing then she likely would have been able to expel it with little effort. There was something else mixed in with the soul fragments of the boy. Xue Yang's brow furrowed as he looked deeper and found fragments of paper within her. 

"I have to say, in my experience as a highly-skilled cultivator," he told her. "I've never seen anything like this. I think...you should trust Daozhang to fix everything. He's so good at it."

"So you're saying I can't trust you?" A-Qing demanded. "I already knew that, dummy! Highly-skilled cultivator my ass! You're just some bum that decided to jump onto the wagon and bully and take advantage of Daozhang!"

"I got this room for us, didn't I?" he said slyly. "I didn't _have_ to get you a bed, Little Blind. Be good and don't say a word about the doll, or next time I'll make you sleep on the floor."

"You're such a moron," she hissed as the door began to open. Xue Yang sprang back from where he was leaning over A-Qing. Xiao Xingchen had arrived with their dinner. Xue Yang watched him set the bowls of rice and vegetables around the table, watched him pour tea for all of them. He watched Xiao Xingchen and hoped that A-Qing wouldn't be smart enough to tell Xiao Xingchen about the switched doll. And he wondered at what he had seen inside of her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens... (also if anyone has ideas on how to save A-Qing, Xiao Xingchen would super appreciate them right about now).


	13. December: Part 5

Xiao Xingchen's chest hurt. The subject matter was what concerned him. He was used to his nameless friend and A-Qing bickering and fighting. He could handle whatever sibling rivalry they seemed to have for his attention. When they began to hide things from him, he worried. How long had A-Qing's condition been getting worse? Why hadn't she said anything to him about it? And then there were the dolls. Collected, but currently useless. He escaped the room as soon as he found an excuse. 

He took his time finding the innkeeper and requesting three meals. Was this situation his fault? Could he have entered Master Tian's shop sooner, when they had first noticed the doll seemed to be moving? He should have listened to his nameless friend and buried the doll in a box covered in talismans immediately. He should have noticed that something was wrong with the doll when he first touched it, when A-Qing had first shown it to him. He had let his guard down, and evil had found a way into their home. 

It seemed that no matter what Xiao Xingchen did, evil found him. From the moment he had left his mentor's mountain, he had been plagued by tragedy. Xue Yang, Baixue Temple, losing Song Zichen, and now...how close was he to losing A-Qing, as well? He had once been a strong cultivator, both in his swordsmanship and spiritual prowess. If there was something he had never encountered before, then he looked for more information. Now he was blind and dependent, far too heavily dependent, on his nameless friend and A-Qing. Now the truth of his uselessness was starting to show. 

How good of a cultivator was he if he couldn't help A-Qing? Even she was beginning to think he didn't need to know things. Even she knew telling him that her symptoms were getting worse was next to useless information to him. He couldn't do anything for her, regardless of whether it was her hands or her entire arms that were made of paper. 

The innkeeper gave him a tray to return to the room with. To his surprise, the meal had already been paid for by his nameless friend. Where had he gotten coin enough for a room with lunch and dinner? Was he hiding things from Xiao Xingchen, as well? He thanked the innkeeper and took the tray of food back to their room, his steps growing heavier. He didn't charge for night hunting, couldn't charge. It was against his morals. Even the shelter and food they did take, he made sure he helped the families in whatever way he could to pay for it. 

Without his sight, he was so useless. His roommates, his family, never said a word, but he could tell by the way they hid things from him. They didn't trust that he could take care of them. He couldn't take care of them. He could only sit by and watch A-Qing dwindle because he hadn't acted swifter. 

He opened the door and began to set the food down on the table, lost in his own thoughts. He was honestly stumped by this problem. He had learned that a soul once broken apart would simply fade into the earth unless it were trapped. Now Master Tian had somehow trapped the pieces of the soul into paper dolls. Even then, there should not have been a way for the partial soul to move into A-Qing's body. Even then, it shouldn't have been turning her to paper. It shouldn't have gotten progressively worse. 

Something else was going on, but he was too blind to see it. Too uneducated, too inexperienced. He wished he could call on one of the bigger cultivation clans to assist with this. Perhaps he still could. Except Beiqui was on the edge of Qinghe. To get to the Unclean Room, they would have to travel at least two days east. Did A-Qing even have two days? Not to mention the two days they might need to travel back if they needed to collect more dolls. 

"Little Blind," Xue Yang announced, breaking into Xiao Xingchen's thoughts. "I'll feed you tonight. Just for tonight."

"You're so kind," A-Qing returned, her tone mocking, biting. Xiao Xingchen imagined there might have been a slight sneer on her face, as well. The bickering felt normal to him, though. The two of them really were like siblings, constantly arguing and yet at times being selfless to one another. 

"Do you want to eat or not?" Xue Yang retorted. Xiao Xingchen sat at the table and began to eat his own meal, distracted. 

He had always been closer to A-Qing than his nameless friend had been. She was the little sister he had never had and there were few that he treasured so preciously. When she was in trouble, he hadn't hesitated to grasp at any straw he could hold. He needed to help her, to fix her. Whatever it took. He might be blind to the world, but he was not blind to the fact that he was the only one that felt this way. His nameless friend had come on this journey because he hadn't wanted to be left behind in the cold. Or perhaps, as he claimed, he really did come on this journey to help Xiao Xingchen. The Daozhang was having a hard time separating what he thought the man might feel for him and what he wanted the man to feel for him.

Their meal was mostly silent as Xue Yang fed A-Qing and then himself, punctuated with him making sure she ate all of the vegetables neither of them wanted to eat. Xiao Xingchen didn't involve himself in their bickering. He cleaned up the bowls when they were done and returned the tray to the innkeeper. By the time he returned to the room again, Xue Yang was tucking A-Qing into bed. Night had fallen and though it was early, with plenty of villagers still on the streets, there was little else to do for a girl whose arms were made of paper. 

"Daozhang," she whispered when he returned. "You're going to fix this, right? You'll save me?"

"Of course," he replied, reaching out to pat her head. He forced a smile onto his face as he sat beside her bed. "We'll figure something out. Not to worry. Just make sure to tell me if it gets worse."

"Okay, Daozhang," A-Qing replied. She seemed happy enough to accept the answer. Xiao Xingchen withdrew to the other bed in the room. 

It occurred to him then, how small the room was. A-Qing's bed was up against one wall and his was up against another. There did not appear to be a third bed. Xue Yang sat at the table in the center of the room once more, drinking tea. Xiao Xingchen frowned at the realization, his mind finally beginning to click the pieces together. Of course a room with only two beds would be less expensive than one with three. That must be how Xue Yang had paid for their meals, as well. It still wasn't cheap, but it made sense why his friend would do such a thing. Xiao Xingchen probably would have done the same. He moved off of the bed and knelt at the table beside Xue Yang, his voice lowered so as not to disturb A-Qing. 

"I'll take the floor," he offered quietly. "You can have the bed. You paid for the room."

"Don't be ridiculous," Xue Yang quickly countered. Xiao Xingchen's heart quickened as he waited for the other man to suggest they share the bed. Instead, he heard, "I'll take the floor. You shouldn't risk catching a cold."

Xiao Xingchen poured himself a cup of tea as he mulled over this. It was winter and this was the ground floor. Whoever slept on the floor would be at much more risk of catching a cold. They wouldn't sleep as well and might be tired out easily the next day. They both needed a good night's sleep so they could get to the village and find the other dolls tomorrow. Then Xiao Xingchen would need to find a way to put the souls inside the dolls into A-Qing and somehow exorcise LingLing before his soul fused with A-Qing's. It wasn't something he wanted to do while sick and tired. 

And yet...he had misgivings about sleeping in the same bed as his nameless friend, given what had happened the last time. Xue Yang had hinted before that he wouldn't mind pushing their friendship into something else and sharing a bed. Xiao Xingchen wasn't sure he trusted himself to keep things platonic if they were to share such close quarters, and with A-Qing in the room and a fight to save her life and her soul ahead of them, he had no desire to complicate things with his nameless friend. 

Xiao Xingchen drank his tea, lost in thought, as his friend did the same. He should be making plans for how to save A-Qing, not agonizing over sharing a bed with someone who had long since stopped being a stranger to him. What if his friend actually did sleep on the floor and get sick? While complicating their friendship was something Xiao Xingchen wanted to avoid, trying to take care of his sick friend and A-Qing at the same time was equally as appalling. 

"It wouldn't do either of us good to get sick," Xiao Xingchen finally sighed. "We should share the bed. To sleep."

"Are you sure?" Xue Yang piped up. He set his tea cup down, the porcelain making a soft thud as it met the table. 

"Yes," Xiao Xingchen replied immediately. His heart pounded in his chest. 

"Then I'll go to bed first, Daozhang," his friend replied. Xiao Xingchen wondered if he had been keeping the other man up with his indecision. A-Qing's snores filtered through the room, letting him know that she had already fallen asleep. He nodded and listened to the sounds of his friend blowing the lamp out and getting ready for bed. 

Xiao Xingchen sat in the dark for several seconds, drinking the rest of his tea as he urged himself to follow his friend. Doubts plagued his mind over his decision. He could sleep on the floor after all and probably be fine. Except now the bed would be guaranteed to be warm and inviting. He shouldn't impose on his friend. 

Finally, fatigue won out over Xiao Xingchen. He pulled off his boots and his outer robes, probably covered in dust and dirt from several days of traveling. The air in the room was chilly, causing him to shiver in the night air. He slipped into bed beside a warm body, hoping his friend would already be asleep. Instead, Xue Yang moved over to make room for him and an arm wrapped itself around his waist. 

Xiao Xingchen couldn’t stop himself from seeking out Xue Yang’s warmth, pressing his back against a well-muscled chest. He was exhausted from worrying over A-Qing. He had expected to drift off to sleep immediately, but his mind had other ideas. For once, it was not his little blind friend’s fate that beleaguered his mind, but rather the nameless friend whose fingers were splayed across his stomach. 

He could feel the puff of warm breath across his neck. A shiver ran down Xiao Xingchen’s body, reminding him of how close they had been last time they had shared a bed. He wished Xue Yang would touch him like that again, fingers tracing down his body in exotic patterns. Would it really complicate their friendship if it was just a few touches?

Minutes passed and Xiao Xingchen remained motionless, gathering his courage. They couldn’t do anything with A-Qing in the same room. Asleep though she was, she had good senses. She would know that they shared a bed, that something between them was happening. Not to mention how rude it would be if—

Xiao Xingchen caught his mind drifting off into various scenarios of exactly what A-Qing would catch them doing. All he wanted, he told himself, was for Xue Yang to touch him in the same way he had that night a few months back. It wasn’t sexual, it hadn’t meant anything. It was just touching. Touching that had nearly led to a kiss. Xiao Xingchen’s heart pounding in his chest at the thought. Did he really want that with this person? Of course he did. But he couldn’t be assured that this one wouldn’t get tired of taking care of him and leave.

He barely sensed the movement behind him before soft lips pressed to his shoulder. Did Xue Yang think he was asleep? Xiao Xingchen was torn between lying still and pretending just that or to confront his friend. The latter won. He twisted in Xue Yang’s arms to face him, hand reaching up to cup Xue Yang’s jaw. His friend froze, caught in the act. Still, he didn’t remove his arm, now cupping the small of Xiao Xingchen’s back.

“I thought I was supposed to kiss you first next time,” were the first words Xiao Xingchen could think of to say. “You shouldn’t make promises if you can’t keep them.”

There was no bitterness, so judgment, in his voice. He hadn’t minded it. He didn’t know what to make of it. He knew what Xue Yang wanted and he was sure that he wouldn’t mind the same. But did his friend actually want this? Did he understand what it entailed, to be saddled with a blind person for the rest of his life? Xiao Xingchen couldn’t ask anyone to commit their life to him, but likewise he knew himself well. He couldn’t commit any less to the one that he loved. And he couldn’t accept anything less.

“And I got tired of waiting,” Xue Yang protested. “Was it really so bad?”

It wasn’t. It could hardly even be counted as a kiss, really. It had been nice. Xiao Xingchen remained silent, unsure how to proceed from there. Their lips must be so close, though Xiao Xingchen couldn’t see them. All he needed was to move forward mere inches and brush his own lips against his friend’s. 

Xue Yang’s lips were soft against his as he did just that, his thumb stroking down Xue Yang’s jaw as he used it to guide them closer. The arm around him tightened, pressing him closer to his friend. Xiao Xingchen held the kiss for a long moment before pulling back enough to speak. His body hummed with want for more. 

“There,” he whispered to Xue Yang. “Now we’re even. A kiss for a kiss.”

“What?” came the confused reply. Xiao Xingchen’s lips twitched into a smile. 

“A kiss for a kiss,” he repeated. “We should get some sleep.”

There was a long moment of silence between them as Xue Yang must have realized that Xiao Xingchen had made no move to break free from his hold. The Daozhang’s hand was still on his face, thumb stroking his cheek softly. 

“Daozhang,” the voice filtered into Xiao Xingchen’s ears, making his smile wider. “You’re so confusing. What if I kiss you again? We won’t be even anymore. Would you then kiss me back again?”

“Go to sleep,” Xiao Xingchen repeated, finally dropping his hand from Xue Yang’s face.

He wrapped it around the other’s waist and buried his face in his friend’s shoulder. He wanted to be held. He wanted to be distracted from A-Qing and his inability to protect her. And he wanted to be able to answer his friend’s question with certainty instead of hesitance. He simply didn’t know. Did trading kisses like that complicate things? Did it reveal how much he wanted Xue Yang to be with him? He couldn’t be certain it was safe to love Xue Yang, to expect him to stay. 

“Daozhang?” the voice was hushed and hesitant. “Do you trust me?”

Xiao Xingchen didn’t respond. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First kiss! It turns out this slow burn _can_ progress.


	14. December: Part 6

Nothing more happened between them and in the morning, Xue Yang awoke to find Xiao Xingchen’s face still pressed into his shoulder, the man breathing deeply. The air was still too cold and the sun hadn't yet risen. He shivered and pulled Xiao Xingchen closer, soaking in the Daozhang’s heat. This was nice, he thought briefly. The bed was warm and his enemy lay in his arms, unknowing who it was that held his very life in his hands. What would Xiao Xingchen do if he knew it was Xue Yang that he had so willingly kissed last night? Whose arms he now stretched out in? Whose body he clung to in the dregs of sleep?

Xiao Xingchen woke slowly. He moved closer still to Xue Yang, groaning softly as he realized that it was morning. Xue Yang lay still and silent, watching him with conflicting emotions. What would he do, now that the fatigue of the night had worn off and the first light of day made him remember his own ‘wanton’ ways, as Xiao Xingchen would probably describe it? 

The Daozhang said nothing. He gently unentangled himself from Xue Yang, dressed, and left the room to exchange their cold pot of tea for a new one. Xue Yang stared after him, lost in thought. Last night, he had thought Xiao Xingchen asleep when he leaned forward to kiss his shoulder. 

It wasn’t in affection, he told himself sternly. It was a kiss of ownership. A reward for Xiao Xingchen doing the right thing and sharing the bed with him, as a dog or a slave yields to their master. He owned Xiao Xingchen, whether he knew it or not. The problem was that Xiao Xingchen did _not_ appear to know this most of the time. He didn’t seem to be smart enough to figure out who Xue Yang was. Once he did, he would certainly get on his knees and offer himself to Xue Yang on a silver platter. He would offer to serve Xue Yang in every way, to give him candy all the time and be at his beck and call for whatever Xue Yang wanted him to do. Xiao Xingchen would be the very best at everything he did, and he would do it for Xue Yang’s pleasure. The ultimate revenge. 

Last night had only solidified his belief in this fantasy. Xiao Xingchen had kissed _him_. He had spent the night tangled in Xue Yang’s arm, had awoken that way. Xue Yang appeared to have gained his trust back. Better yet, Xiao Xingchen no longer held onto the illusion that they would only be friends. He was clearly open to progressing further in their relationship and eventually sharing his body with Xue Yang.

_But for how long?_ Was Xiao Xingchen truly so fickle that he could be friends one day, threaten to leave Xue Yang behind the next, and kiss him less than a week later? For ten months he had watched the man, observed him with keen eyes to learn what made him work. In ten months, he had learned that Xiao Xingchen was far more complex than he had realized. 

His stupid, naive idiot of an enemy succeeded in life by being kind, yet unpredictable. Of course he had attacked Baixue temple in hopes of hurting Xiao Xingchen, and it had worked. But never would he have expected the man to give his very eyes to Song Lan. Even now, the Daozhang who had expressed little interest in sharing a bed over the past few months had not only offered to do such a thing, but had actually kissed him of his own volition! 

Xiao Xingchen’s arrival with a fresh pot of tea, marked Xue Yang’s realization of a missed opportunity. When he had slipped into the bed the night before, his thoughts hadn’t been on Xiao Xingchen. They had been on A-Qing and the various ways he could ensure the exorcism would not go as planned. They had been focused on this pieces of paper he had seen when he looked into her spirit. He had been creating a plan to get up earlier than everyone else, open the lotus box with the paper dolls, and merge them with A-Qing’s spirit. Xiao Xingchen leaving for tea would have been the perfect time to do such a thing. Instead, he had been distracted by his own thoughts of revenge. How, exactly, was he supposed to get revenge on Xiao Xingchen with A-Qing in the way?

Xue Yang stretched, making the bed sheets rustle as he rose and dressed. He smirked as he looked at Xiao Xingchen, noting that his hair was slightly mussed from sleeping. Xiao Xingchen poured tea for both of them.

"Morning," Xue Yang greeted him cheerfully. Xue Yang sat down and picked up the tea cup. He stared at the image of the Daozhang across the table, imagining their future together as master and servant. It was a titillating thought. 

"Morning," Xiao Xingchen murmured in return. "Did you sleep well?"

“Of course,” Xue Yang responded. “What about you, Daozhang?”

"Well enough. Let's wake A-Qing up and be on our way." Xiao Xingchen’s response was terse, his lips frowning. Xue Yang frowned in return. In the light of day, was Xiao Xingchen regretting last night’s kiss? Was he regretting sharing the bed with Xue Yang, curled up in his arms? Could his thoughts truly focus only on A-Qing?

“Alright,” Xue Yang replied, keeping his voice far too cheerful. Xiao Xingchen rose and crossed over to the bed, kneeling beside A-Qing. He reached out to touch a hard shoulder, shaking it gently. 

"A-Qing," he prompted with a cajoling tone. "You need to wake up now."

"I am awake," came the voice. It sounded tired and weak, unlike the sassy girl she had been just yesterday. "Daozhang, I can't move my legs."

Xue Yang’s eyes fell to the girl as Xiao Xingchen forced a smile on his face and moved the covers away. To his surprise, the legs appeared to be made of paper all the way to where they disappeared under her robes near her knee. It turned out that A-Qing had not been lying when she said things were progressing on their own. Xue Yang had expected the paper to only take over more of her body when she absorbed more of the spirit, but in fact LingLing’s presence seemed to be growing on its own. Or rather, whatever was turning her to paper appeared to be acting on its own. Xue Yang was beginning to suspect that it was only partly related to LingLing’s spirit, after all. Images of paper fragments floated in his mind. 

"Her legs have turned to paper!" Xue Yang exclaimed. He frowned as Xiao Xingchen reached out and helped A-Qing into a sitting position. "This is so inconvenient. Now I'll have to carry you!"

"I can do it," Xiao Xingchen said automatically. "Come, A-Qing. Let's get your shoes on as best we can."

"Daozhang," the weak voice met his ears. It was full of tears as the girl began to cry. "Daozhang, it's spreading so quickly now."

Xiao Xingchen reached towards the end of the bed and grabbed A-Qing's shoes, starting to tug them over the paper feet. Xue Yang stood back and watched, contemplating. The plan had been to go to the next village to see if they could get another doll or two. The plan had been to try to slowly transfer LingLing's spirit to A-Qing, trying to exorcise his spirit after each successive doll. With the rate that the paper was taking over her body, Xue Yang suspected they didn't have as much time as they thought they had yesterday. Xiao Xingchen's hands shook slightly as he pulled A-Qing's shoe over her foot. 

"We should try to do the exorcism here," Xue Yang suddenly spoke up. The vicious teasing tone from before was gone from his voice. "If we do nothing, it won't be long until her entire body is covered with paper and we'll lose our chance. It's better to transfer over what remnants of LingLing's spirits we have and try to exorcise it sooner rather than later."

"I've thought of that," Xiao Xingchen replied solemnly. "If it doesn't work, then we will have made the situation worse."

"If we wait around to find another doll or two," Xue Yang retorted, "then she'll be paper before we transfer any more of LingLing's spirit over and she'll be lost for good. It's worth the risk, Daozhang."

It was probably already too late for A-Qing. He had been wanting to transfer more of the spirits from the dolls into A-Qing before he had known how far the paper had already crept up her body. Now he could nearly taste victory. There were two outcomes, from his point of view. Either they succeeded in exorcising LingLing before her entire body turned to paper, or they didn't and she died. The latter was what Xue Yang was hoping for, but at this point...well, he was feeling a bit generous that morning, after things had progressed so far with the Daozhang the night before. He'd find another way to get rid of A-Qing. 

"What do you think?" Xiao Xingchen asked the scared girl in front of him. A-Qing's lips were pressed tightly together, her blind eyes wide in fear. It was a good look for her, Xue Yang thought. She was almost pretty when she was scared. It was a far better look on her face than the constant sneer or annoyed glances she showed to Xue Yang. 

"Do you think it'll work?" A-Qing couldn't grip the blanket with paper hands, but Xue Yang imagined that that was exactly what she would be trying to do if she could. 

"I know that if we don't do something soon, it may be too late," Xiao Xingchen replied honestly. "It's gotten this bad just from the first fragment of LingLing's spirit. Adding more is dangerous, but it's the only chance to save you."

"Then just go ahead and do it," A-Qing declared. "But hurry up. LingLing's getting stronger all the time."

_It isn't LingLing_ , Xue Yang thought as he dragged the lotus box over to the table and opened it. _There's something else in these dolls. But what?_

"Then we'll do that," Xiao Xingchen's gentle voice replied. "Everything will be okay, A-Qing. You'll see. It will all be over soon."

A-Qing nodded, looking miserable. Xiao Xingchen rose and crossed the room to where Xue Yang stood holding the box of paper dolls. He looked grim. 

"We will have to do it quickly," Xiao XIngchen murmured to Xue Yang. "Can I count on you to help me with this?"

"Don't you trust me, Daozhang?" Xue Yang replied. A smirk covered his face. "Of course I'll help you. It's for Little Blind, after all."

"Then we should leave the inn in peace and do this elsewhere," Xiao Xingchen said. "Carry the box. I'll carry A-Qing." He didn't answer Xue Yang's question.

Together they moved A-Qing to a nearby alley. It was, ironically, the same alley in which Xue Yang had killed the man the day before and stolen his money. Xiao Xingchen drew the array on the ground with expert precision despite his lack of eyes. Xue Yang watched, impressed, and thought of how enticing the thought of taking the Daozhang was while he was trying to do such a sensitive thing. Perhaps in the summer, when the wind wasn't ripping through the corridor and freezing both him and A-Qing on the spot. 

"We need water," Xiao Xingchen announced once the array was drawn. "Did we bring any with us?"

"No," Xue Yang shook his head. "We could use A-Qing's tears, though!" From the sit of Xiao Xingchen's lips, he could tell that his joke was not appreciated. He still smirked, anyway. "Daozhang, there's a wine house nearby. Go ask for some water there. I'll stay with Little Blind."

"Very well," he agreed. They moved into an alley where the wind was blocked by two buildings. "A-Qing. Stay here for now. I'll return soon."

"Daozhang, don't leave me!" she protested. But she couldn't do anything. A-Qing could barely move on her own, now. 

"It's only for a few moments," Xiao Xingchen promised her. "Be good. I'll be back."

Xue Yang watched Xiao Xingchen leave and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. How was he supposed to know anything about daoist rituals and exorcisms? He had spent a summer traveling with Xiao Xingchen, but they had never had to exorcise a child that was turning into paper before. He couldn't possibly know every element required in every ritual.

"He'll be back," she said aloud, probably more to comfort herself than to make conversation. 

"Of course he will," Xue Yang said. He tried to sound comforting, but the tone in his voice sounded odd to his ears. "When he comes back, we'll put all of LingLing's spirit into you and try to pull it out quickly. It'll have to be right here in this alley. You'll be an annoying brat again by dinnertime." 

"Are you really going to help him?" There was a small quaver in her voice. "I know you don't want me around."

"I don't want to do your chores, either," he groused. "Really, it's in my best interest to help you, isn't it? I don't want to pluck chickens for dinner. That's your job."

There was a ring of truth in his words. He really didn't want to do her chores. On the other hand, doing a few more chores and having the peace and quiet to seduce Xiao Xingchen in his own time was a fair trade-off. Xiao Xingchen's corruption would be that much swifter if he didn't have A-Qing to care about. He would jump to eliminating creatures quicker, thinking of how A-Qing had been stolen from him by a spiritual fragment. Xue Yang would use her death as motivation, fodder to feed his Daozhang and twist his thoughts the way Xue Yang wanted him to be. 

Xiao Xingchen returned quickly, a single cup of water in hand. He set it aside and tended to A-Qing. 

"Daozhang," A-Qing murmured as Xiao Xingchen lifted her into the array. Xue Yang opened the lotus box and placed the three dolls beside her. He locked eyes with A-Qing and just for a second he thought--but no, if she could actually see him, it was only because of LingLing's spirit within her. Her eyes moved past his a moment later and he pushed the thought aside. 

"Everything will be fine soon," Xiao Xingchen whispered. His voice was tense. "Here, hold onto these new dolls. We'll try to exorcise everything at once. Just hold on."

"I'll try, Daozhang," A-Qing murmured. Xiao Xingchen stepped back, and Xue Yang stepped back with him, a smirk on his face. 

They began the exorcism. As exorcisms went, it was fairly run-of-the-mill. LingLing's spirit knotted itself together inside of A-Qing, just as Xue Yang had hoped. Xiao XIngchen called forth LingLing's spirit, threw water on the array to cleanse it so his spirit could move on. The array lit up with the power flowing through it as A-Qing stared emptily back at them. The light grew bright enough that Xue Yang felt the need to squeeze his eyes shut. All at once, the light faded. A-Qing didn't let out a cry as the exorcism finished. She couldn't. In A-Qing's place, all that was left was a paper doll. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A-Qing unfortunately had to be sacrificed for the XueXiao agenda. I am not sorry and there will be no further apologies regarding this matter. 
> 
> Next up: More XueXiao and the end of our December arc!


	15. December: Part 7

"It didn't work," Xiao Xingchen breathed. He and Xue Yang sat in the alley and used it as shelter from the wind as the Daozhang cradled the paper doll to his chest. The figure in his arms was life-sized, but made completely out of paper. A-Qing was no more. 

Though he had expected it to happen, Xue Yang still felt a pang in the pit of his stomach. Isn't this what he had wanted? A-Qing was no more and Xiao Xingchen was crying tears of blood as he clung to her lifeless paper body. This was even better than watching him sob over the blinded Song Lan. This should have been better than that, but it wasn't. Instead, Xue Yang felt uncomfortable in ways that couldn't be attributed to the way the cold permeated through the layers of clothing he wore. 

"Daozhang," he spoke quietly, several minutes later. "She's gone." 

He put a hand on Xiao Xingchen's shoulder as the Daozhang let out a sob. The poor thing was broken over the loss of the girl. Would he have reacted so if it had been Xue Yang, instead? How was it that even in her death, A-Qing managed to swipe the attention of the Daozhang away from him? 

It hadn't been until they had begun to perform the exorcism that Xue Yang had been assured of his own victory. With the addition of the spirits within the dolls, there was enough of LingLing within her to exorcise the soul of the dead boy. Theoretically, the exorcism they performed should have worked. But Xiao Xingchen in his arrogance, in his absolute knowledge of what must be happening to A-Qing, had never looked deeper to see the second soul buried inside of her. The soul of a monster. 

To be fair, it had taken Xue Yang this long to realize Master Tian's method had been more sinister than even he could have imagined. The best way to bind a soul was with resentment, as he well knew. But the soul of a young boy had no resentment, so there had been nothing to bind it. The soul of an ancient tree carried so much more resentment than that of a boy. An ancient tree chopped down could have a lot of resentment, indeed. If the tree had turned into a monster and the monster had been bound the paper that formed the paper dolls, then the dolls themselves were possessed by a monster full of resentment. They were the perfect binding tool for the shattered spirit of the young boy. 

How much of A-Qing turning to paper had been caused by LingLing at all? With the monster bound into pieces of paper, divided and separated, it would naturally want to come back together again. They had not been uniting LingLing's soul so much as the soul of the monster that had infused the paper. So the exorcism had successfully rid them of LingLing's spirit, leaving behind only A-Qing and the monster's souls to fight for control of her body. Since there was a paper doll on the ground in Xiao Xingchen's arms, Xue Yang could easily guess who had won. What strength did a normal girl have against the brutality of resentment that strong?

"We were too late," Xiao Xingchen whispered brokenly. 

"Come on," Xue Yang put a command into his voice as he pulled Xiao Xingchen to his feet. The life-sized paper doll came with him. It occurred to Xue Yang that if the paper monster had won, then the doll might be an actual threat to them both. Could it move on its own, like the paper LingLing dolls? It was more coalesced now, stronger than before. 

"We need to take her with us," Xiao Xingchen shook his head. "She deserves a proper burial."

"Of course!" Xue Yang quickly agreed. A burial beneath a sea of talismans sounded like a good plan to him. "But let's get her back quickly. It's cold, and we have a long journey ahead of us."

It took a bit of cajoling to convince Xiao Xingchen to move, drawing the paper doll with him. They returned to the inn and tucked the paper doll into bed. Xue Yang brought the lotus box with him, watching Xiao Xingchen as much as he watched the paper doll. The outcome of their exorcism was satisfying to him. A-Qing was gone, and though it may have temporarily broken the Daozhang, it wasn't like Xue Yang hadn't dealt with a broken Xiao Xingchen before. This would be no different. 

"I don't understand," Xiao Xingchen murmured. He sat beside the bed, a hand on A-Qing's paper wrist. "There were hardly any spirit fragments in the dolls. How could it have progressed so quickly?"

Xue Yang didn't tell him about the paper monster. The last thing he needed was for Xiao Xingchen to get a bright idea about how to get rid of the paper monster and save A-Qing. Instead, he got a fresh pot of tea and brought up lunch. In the common room, there was talk of a walking corpse that had killed the entire Tian family over the course of the night. Xue Yang allowed himself a small smile, despite the corpse's late actions. He had won.

That night, there was no discussion on sleeping arrangements. Xue Yang tugged Xiao Xingchen into the bed with him and the Daozhang followed without protest. Xue Yang laid in bed, Xiao Xingchen's face pressed to his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the Daozhang and stared across the room at the dormant paper doll. He hadn't forgotten that the original LingLing doll had had a penchant for moving on his own. This doll was bigger and had much more of the paper demon's spirit residing within it. Xue Yang kept his sword close, and Xiao Xingchen closer. 

It was odd to protect the Daozhang, he thought during that sleepless night. He should be forcing the Daozhang to protect him from the force of evil laying in the bed across from them. Instead, it was Xue Yang holding Xiao Xingchen close and watching over his slumber. There was something wrong about this situation, but he couldn't figure out what. 

=====

It took three days to return to the coffin house with the bloodstained doll in tow. Xue Yang remained alert, waiting for the doll to move, to attack. It stayed dormant, as if it were just a normal paper doll. Xue Yang didn't trust it. 

Once they had returned to the coffin house, Xiao Xingchen laid A-Qing in her coffin. Xue Yang silently made a net of talismans to throw over the paper doll. He didn't know if it would be enough to subdue the monster, but it would have to be for now. Xiao Xingchen's spirits had gotten progressively lower since they had lost A-Qing and Xue Yang didn't have the time to deal with a pissed off paper monster. 

He had convinced Xiao Xingchen to move the coffin outside, at least. Xiao Xingchen wouldn't let him put the lid on, but it was out of the house. Xue Yang added more talismans to the door of their home, just as a precaution. Only then did he turn to Xiao Xingchen and begin to focus on what revenge would mean now that he had the Daozhang to himself. 

Xue Yang cooked a meal. There was no meat, so he made due with radishes instead. He had never made dumplings before, either, but figured they couldn't be too hard. He labored in the kitchen while Xiao Xingchen nursed the furnace back to a steady heat. Finally, Xiao Xingchen rose and made his way over to the kitchen.

"You don't need to cook," the Daozhang said. "I will make dinner."

"I'm nearly done," Xue Yang told him. He had to watch his words and his tone carefully. If he didn't act as sad and depressed as Xiao Xingchen thought he should be, it was likely the Daozhang would lash out at him. He tossed the dumplings into the pan, frowning as the radish filling immediately began to spill out of them. "Go sit at the table and I'll bring it over when it's finished." It wouldn't look pretty, but it would hopefully taste fine. Xiao Xingchen wasn't in a position to care about how something looked, anyway. 

Xiao Xingchen sat at the table woodenly, silent and lost in thought. Xue Yang cooked the dumplings quickly before throwing them into a bowl and placing it in front of Xiao Xingchen. The daozhang took a single bite of a dumpling before swallowing and placing the unfinished piece back into his bowl. 

"Did you make dumplings?" he asked. Xue Yang poked at his own dumpling in trepidation. He had never made dumplings before.

"We missed the winter solstice while we were traveling," he replied. "It's traditional to make dumplings for winter solstice, so..."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Xingchen began to laugh. Xue Yang shot him a glare. Here he was doing his best to be _nice_ to Xiao Xingchen to gain his trust and the Daozhang had the gall to laugh at his cooking. Xiao Xingchen rose from the table then and walked over to lay a hand on his arm. 

"You're supposed to cook the radishes first if you fry the dumplings," Xiao Xingchen told him, his face softening. "Or cook them in a soup for hours. Come, let me help you."

Xiao Xingchen picked up his bowl and tugged Xue Yang into the kitchen with him. He put water on to boil and slid the dumplings into the water. The radish filling burst forth from the rice flour wrappings. Xue Yang frowned and said nothing, watching in silence as Xiao Xingchen turned his dumplings into a soup. But his terrible dumplings had forced the Daozhang to think about something besides A-Qing for the first time in days. It wasn't a complete failure. Xue Yang would take the win on this one. Even if it took another few hours before they could actually eat. 

When Xue Yang pulled Xiao Xingchen into his own bed that night instead of allowing Xiao Xingchen to sleep in the coffin, he expected more of a protest. Instead, Xiao Xingchen settled beside him without a word, his head sharing the single pillow with Xue Yang. Their lips were close enough to meet with the smallest of movements. That was Xue Yang's last thought before three days of exhaustion pulled him deep into slumber. 

Xue Yang awoke to the feeling of wetness on his shoulder. He looked down to realize that Xiao Xingchen's bloody tears had soaked through his clothes. Was he still crying over A-Qing? It had already been three days already. How long was he going to keep thinking about a poor, dead girl? He should have expected this possible outcome the first morning they had awoken to find her hands turned to paper. Xiao Xingchen, though, had always held onto hope, even in desperate situations. It was pathetic. 

Still, his hands found their way up to Xiao Xingchen's hair as he closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. He gently stroked the Daozhang's hair and the top of his head, fingers lingering as Xue Yang kept his movements slow. He felt an arm curled about his waist tighten instinctively as Xiao Xingchen kept his face buried in Xue Yang's shoulder, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold in sobs. 

Sleep drew him back down as Xiao Xingchen clung to him and wept for A-Qing. He would have to do laundry in the morning to clean his inner robes. The thought was fleeting, but annoying all the same. He had told A-Qing that he wanted to save her so he wouldn't have to do the extra chores. He'd hadn't really wanted to save her, but now that it came down to it...it really was annoying, having to do extra chores. She hadn't been that bad of a housemate. 

Outside, the wind howled, blowing dried leaves across the yard. A single talisman fluttered away from the net covering the paper body of A-Qing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends our December arc! Stay tuned for more XueXiao moments and Xue Yang trying to figure out how love and affection factor into his revenge plan.


	16. January

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long pause between updates! Do you have any idea how hard it is to write Xue Yang when he has everything he wants? It's hard. It's really, really hard.

January

Weeks had passed since A-Qing had turned into a paper doll. There were surprisingly good weeks, all things considered. Instead of falling into a pit of despair as Xue Yang had been afraid of, Xiao Xingchen instead seemed to double his efforts to contribute to the household that now consisted of two people. Was it because there was more to do during winter, or because he was just trying to keep himself busy? 

When confronted with disaster, Xue Yang generally acted the same way. He observed his surroundings and he made the absolute most of them. He believed that no one would reach out to help him but he himself. It was how he had crawled halfway to the road from the field his body had been dumped in before passing out, only to be rescued by Xiao Xingchen. It was how, as a child, he had crawled away and nursed his butchered hand himself, until it festered and he was forced to go to a doctor. No one had ever helped him out of the goodness of their heart, and he certainly wasn't going to help Xiao Xingchen out of the goodness of his. 

He had never eaten quite so good as those nights after they had returned with A-Qing's doll corpse. Even then, Xiao Xingchen had managed to scrape ever ingredient they had together into meals as lovely and fantastic as they were filling. If he cried against Xue Yang's shoulder every so often...well, frankly it was annoying and disturbed his sleep. But he never said anything. 

It was unseasonably warm some weeks after the loss of A-Qing. Xiao XIngchen seemed to be in good spirits for once, which was why Xue Yang was almost loath to tell him the state of their stores. 

"Daozhang," he approached him cautiously. "What's for dinner?"

"Do we have potatoes still?"

"No."

"Cabbage?"

"No."

They went on for a while, Xue Yang allowing Xiao Xingchen to question him instead of telling him the truth. They had next to nothing, food-wise. Xiao Xingchen's cooking was delicious, but resource-intensive. There were few ingredients left to cook with. 

"Then we need to go to the market, " Xiao Xingchen said at last. "I suppose you're going to tell me next that we have to money to buy things with?"

"Daozhang, when do we _ever_ have money to buy things with?" Xue Yang complained. "Why don't you sell some talismans like you normally do? People really like those."

"Do we have cinnabar?" Xiao Xingchen frowned slightly. Xue Yang smirked. 

"Of course! We always have cinnabar." After bringing the paper doll back, Xue Yang had been ever so concerned about the paper monster that dwelled within it. He had used the last of the money he had taken from the man he had killed in Beiqei and bought enough cinnabar to last them half a year. Or maybe just a few months, with the way he had used it to create a talisman net for the paper doll.   


"Then I will do that," Xiao Xingchen smiled. It was a faint smile, not like the wide and free ones Xue Yang had gotten used to over the summer. But for months now, Xiao Xingchen's smiles had been limited. It wasn't fair for Xiao Xingchen to give his smiles freely to Xue Yang and then suddenly stop and give him restrained ones. But it was a smile, something that had been even rarer since A-Qing had fallen to the paper monster. Xue Yang took it as a sign that acting patient and understanding with the Daozhang was finally beginning to pay off.

They went to the market together. Xiao Xingchen seemed to be in gay spirits as Xue Yang joined him in picking out the best radishes they could find. He might as well just plant radishes in their coffin home, as much as they ate them. It would probably save them a bit of money. Radishes, cabbages, and of course the bland potatoes that consisted of the the better part of most meals. 

"Let's get a chicken," Xue Yang said as they passed by the radish stand. "We can use the feathers to make a quilt for the bed."

They had been sharing a bed since A-Qing had died. Though Xue Yang thought snagging A-Qing's blanket was nothing short of practical given the circumstances, Xiao Xingchen differed in opinion. Even with another warm body next to him, Xue Yang had been cold all winter. 

"Alright," Xiao Xingchen agreed. There was little money to be split between them, but with the winter cold had come bodies. With bodies had come the need for the coffin home and with that, meager payments of money. There was enough for a chicken. Combined with the little bit of money Xiao Xingchen had gotten selling talismans, Xue Yang could nearly taste the broth in his mouth as they approached the stall. 

He picked up one of the chickens and held it out to Xiao Xingchen. 

"What about this one?" he asked the Daozhang.

"I'm sure it's fine," Xiao Xingchen replied. Xue Yang paid for the cock. The mistress of the stall gave them the mercy of wringing its neck before handing the corpse to them. The thought crossed his mind that he might like to try and bring back an animal instead of a human. How terrifying would it be? Was there enough resentment inside of an animal to even bring one back?

As they walked through the market, Xiao Xingchen tilted his head, listening for a moment. Xue Yang listened as well, but all he could make out was the cacophony of the market. 

"What is it?" Xue Yang finally asked. Xiao Xingchen smiled softly. 

"There's a book seller here," the Daozhang replied. His tone was wistful. "They hardly ever make it all the way to Yi City."

Xue Yang's first thought was how ridiculous it was that Xiao Xingchen even cared about books and booksellers. He was blind, after all. On the other hand, Xue Yang's own book had been a bust. There was nothing in it that was even interesting, nevermind useful. Perhaps he would get lucky and find something written by the Yiling Patriarch here. 

"Then we should go check it out," Xue Yang replied. He quickly found the bookstand and tugged Xiao Xingchen over with him.

The bookseller was a balding man with a paunchy look to him. In fact, barring the lack of hair, Xue Yang could easily have taken him for the former LanglingJin Sect Leader Jin Guangshan. He still had fond memories of the sect leader's death.

"Only real customers allowed," the bookseller insisted the moment he saw Xiao Xingchen trail a hand along the spine of a book. "If you're not going to buy anything, move along!"

"That's not a good way to get customers," Xue Yang complained. He watched Xiao Xingchen like a hawk. He saw how his hand retracted as soon as the man spoke, the slight smile on his face vanish. Just for a moment, the Daozhang had been at peace with the world, a book under his fingertips. How often had he read when he had had eyes? How stupid he had been to give them up, Xue Yang thought to himself. Had he realized that he would never read again? Or had his thoughts only ever been for Song Lan?

"If you were a customer, you'd buy something!" the bookseller retorted. "Don't think I'm stupid! You bring a blind person here? He can't even read! I've heard about you, you delinquent! Stealing from people, kicking over stalls...just look at you! You couldn't read if it your life depended on it!"

Anger surged in Xue Yang. It wasn't the slight towards himself; he had quite a reputation for being a delinquent, after all, so it wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if he couldn't read. No, it was the fact that regardless of whether _he_ thought Xiao Xingchen a fool for giving up his eyes, and thus his power to read, the book vendor had no such rights. 

"It's fine," Xiao Xingchen murmured. He turned and walked off, leaving Xue Yang alone with the bookseller. Xue Yang watched him walk off for a long moment before turning back to the bookseller, a killing smirk revealing itself. He grabbed a few books at random and showed them to the bookseller. 

"How about I buy these?" Xue Yang asked. Laughter was in his voice as he tucked them into the basket, right on top of the dead chicken. The basket, mended from the last time it was broken, sagged at the repaired seams. 

The bookseller regarded him angrily for a moment before trying to name a price. Xue Yang laughed at him. 

"Your books might be worth it," he chastised the bookseller. The smirk never left his face as he pulled out his knife. "But then you had to go insult my friend. I think that's worth a few books, don't you?"

"I'm not afraid of you!" the bookseller retorted as he eyed the knife. He was undoubtedly thinking of calling the guards. Yi City had guards, but they weren't the militant groups of the large cities. Instead, the town guard consisted of two elderly men that thought Xue Yang just needed a firm hand. They were just as scared of him as the bookseller was. 

"Who said anything about fear?" Xue Yang ran the tip of his knife along the cover of one book, parting the cover from the spine. "I'll take these as an apology for now. Be a bit nicer to people, or I'll be back."

He turned and walked off, sheathing his knife. Xiao Xingchen was still walking through the market, taking the less used paths through people. He walked slowly, careful not to trip or bump into anyone. It was less of a walk through the market and more like a stroll. If he didn't know better, he would say that Xiao Xingchen exuded confidence with every step. But in fact it was more than each step was careful, meticulous. 

"Daozhang," he said as he caught up to him. "Don't mind that bookseller. He has the temperament of a monkey and the sense of a codfish."

As he had hoped, his insults incited laughter from Xiao Xingchen. It had been weeks since A-Qing had died and he was sick of having a depressed Daozhang hanging around. It had been more than that. A-Qing's malady had certainly made it worse, but it had really begun towards the end of autumn. It was such a drag to always be propping Xiao Xingchen up. Xue Yang didn't want a broken, depressed man. He wanted one in the peak of his abilities. He wanted to witness Xiao Xingchen fall to his knees in distress from the absolute greatest height he could reach as a man, as a cultivator. Only then would Xue Yang have his revenge. The groundwork for such a revenge was excruciating, especially when it seemed like Xiao Xingchen took every opportunity to bring himself down.

"Maybe," Xiao Xingchen acknowledged. His smile didn't last. "But he's right. If I had been able to do some research, to read...maybe A-Qing..."

His words trailed off in a sigh. Annoyance crossed Xue Yang's face. If Master Tian hadn't decided to burn the book that contained his secret methods for mingling the shattered soul of a human with one of a monster, perhaps...well, Xue Yang couldn't tell what he would have done. It hadn't happened, after all, and his life was more than adequate without A-Qing in it. He just had to cheer Xiao Xingchen up again. 

"Well, he apologized anyway," Xue Yang announced. He took Xiao Xingchen's arm and guided him around a pothole in the road. "And he gave me some books."

"Did he?" Xiao Xingchen seemed surprised. Xue Yang glanced at him warily. Xiao XIngchen was so unpredictable. Would he guess what had happened between Xue Yang and the bookseller? Or did he truly trust Xue Yang?

"Of course," Xue Yang smirked. "He's blinder than you are. He didn't realize you were a Daozhang. Once I told him, he immediately apologized. He's very religious."

Xiao Xingchen smiled as they headed out of the market and towards home. It wasn't an amused smile, but rather a sad one. Xue Yang had come to know almost all of his smiles over the past months. But knowing wasn't understanding. What was Xiao Xingchen thinking? 

They worked together to pluck and cook the chicken. There wasn't really enough feathers to turn into a good quilt, Xue Yang belatedly realized. There weren't even enough feathers for a pillow. He looked at the small pile in dismay, mind working overtime. 

"Daozhang," he finally said. "I think we need more chickens for a good quilt."

"Perhaps we can get chicks in the spring," Xiao Xingchen said as he packed clay mud around the chicken. Xue Yang nodded slightly as he picked up a feather and held it up to the light. 

"I've never had chicks before," he murmured, more to himself than Xiao Xingchen. Having so many birds around, it was inevitable that he would have enough to kill and try to bring back. He wondered if corpse poison would affect them the same way it did humans. Or did he need a special kind of corpse powder for chickens? The thought of fierce corpse chickens terrorizing Yi City made him grin in amusement. 

Xiao Xingchen put the mud-packed chicken into the furnace and washed his hands. After carefully drying them, he came over and knelt by Xue Yang's side, assessing the amount of feathers they had. 

"We can make the quilt over time," Xiao Xingchen decided. "Create pockets in the blankets and stuff them as we get more feathers. There's still cold weather ahead of us. We should prepare."

Without further conversation, Xiao Xingchen got up and retrieved the supplies he needed to start sewing the blankets together. Xue Yang sat and watched him. The hem of his white robes were caked in mud and dust. His lips were pressed tightly together on his thin face. His hair hung limply from the plain knot he kept it in. It had already been a long winter, but it was barely half over. Would Xiao Xingchen last the winter, working as hard as he had been?

Xue Yang pushed himself to his feet. He wasn't as fragile as Xiao Xingchen, but even he could feel the pull of winter. 

"The chicken won't be done for hours," he pointed out. "I'm going to draw a bath."

Xue Yang took his time soaking in the bathtub as he watched Xiao Xingchen begin to sew the three blankets together into the beginnings of a quilt. He looked focused on the task, his fingers constantly moving over the fabric to find the tip of his needle, to make sure the stitches were straight. After a single pocket was sewn, Xiao Xingchen stuffed it full of feathers before finishing another line of stitches. It was excruciatingly slow work, but his patience never seemed to run out. He diligently made each stitch the same as the last, creating a whole from various parts. 

Once the water turned cold, Xue Yang rose and began to dress. He heated more water on the stove, stoked the fire, and prepared a second bath. 

"Daozhang, it's your turn," he said. Xiao Xingchen put the quilt aside and prepared himself for a bath, as well. Xue Yang walked over to the quilt, noticing how Xiao Xingchen has placed the thin brown fabric on top, while his and A-Qing's blankets formed the base layers of the quilt. The feathers went in between the thin brown fabric and one of the other blankets. Though he hadn't realized it from the bathtub, Xiao Xingchen had begun to form designs into the fabric with his stitchwork. Xue Yang ran his fingers over it, surprised at the detail. 

"Will you wash my hair?" the request broke him out of his reverie. Xue Yang looked over to find Xiao Xingchen already sunken into the tub. He had already pulled his hair down and it streamed over his shoulders in a way that made Xue Yang's blood rise. He _wanted_ Xiao Xingchen. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to trust him, to want him back. He needed that trust for his revenge.

"Of course," he said. Xue Yang went over to kneel behind Xiao Xingchen and began to wash his hair. He had done it many times before. It wasn't a big deal. He ran his fingers across the top of Xiao Xingchen's forehead, listening to the soft sigh emit from weathered lips. He wanted to kiss them, to own them. The single kiss they had shared in the inn was enough to make Xue Yang ache for more. It had only been a few weeks, but he told himself that _this time_ , he would wait for Xiao Xingchen to kiss him first.

It was all a game, wasn't it? Xiao Xingchen hummed under his ministrations as Xue Yang's eyes ran down his slim form buried in the water. Xue Yang knew that he could easily kiss the Daozhang himself, and he even suspected that Xiao Xingchen would kiss him back. But it would erode trust, wouldn't it? Xue Yang couldn't forget how easily Xiao Xingchen had seemed ready to strike out into the world without him, and it chafed. How did he make sure Xiao Xingchen trusted him enough to stay with him, even when he found out who he was? Because he _would_ find out, one day. They were bound to run into another cultivator that knew Xue Yang at some point, as long as they kept night hunting. Even if they cowered in Yi City, a thought that chafed at Xue Yang even more, there was no reason to think cultivators would simply avoid the area. Xiao Xingchen's knowledge of his identity would happen, whether he liked it or not. He had to make sure that Xiao Xingchen didn't care by then. But how? But _how?_

"Friend?" Xiao Xingchen tilted his head in Xue Yang's hands, looking up at his questioningly. The bandage over his eyes were gone, but his lids were closed. At first glance, one would never be able to tell that his eyes were missing. Attraction ran through Xue Yang at the sight. He stopped himself from leaning down to taste those delicious lips, clenching his jaw as he tore his eyes away. Trust was more important than a few kisses or possibly more.

He realized he had stopped his motions as he became more immersed in his thoughts. Xue Yang resumed massaging the soap into Xiao Xingchen's long hair. 

"I'm just thinking," Xue Yang assured him. 

"Would you like to share your thoughts?" Xiao Xingchen asked. There was no judgment, no pressure in his voice. He was giving Xue Yang a choice. Was this some kind of test? Would Xiao Xingchen trust him more if he shared his thoughts? Well, clearly not his actual thoughts, but _some_ thought he had. Or would he not mind at all?

"I was just thinking about that bookseller," he lied. "He kept acting like he was better than you because he could read and you couldn't." Xiao Xingchen gave him a bitter smile. 

"He's not wrong." The admission made Xue Yang's hand tighten in Xiao Xingchen's hair. He tugged at it, watching annoyance ripple over Xiao Xingchen's face for just a moment before that placid, neutral expression was back. 

"He shouldn't look down on you just because you're blind," Xue Yang said. "And don't even _think_ that you're less than that paunchy stupid codfish just because he can see and you can't. I'd like to see _him_ save an entire village from a ghoul."

His words brought a smile back to Xiao Xingchen's face. Xue Yang released his hair and began to rinse it out. Xiao Xingchen remained quiet, letting him have the last word for a long while.

"What kind of books did he give you?" Xiao Xingchen asked at last, once Xue Yang was finished with his work. His tone was wistful again, as if remembering when he lived in the mountain and read books all day to improve his cultivation. 

"I didn't look," Xue Yang shrugged. "Probably something stupid and useless that he couldn't sell much of."

The smell of cooking chicken permeated the air as Xiao Xingchen dressed in his set of spare robes and returned to working on the quilt. Xue Yang finally went over to check out the books he had taken earlier. He had truly selected them randomly, grabbing the first ones that he touched. Of the three he had taken, two were books of taoist scriptures and the other was a book of poetry. Not exactly the manuscripts of the Yiling Patriarch he had hoped to chance across. 

"Let's see," he said as he strolled back to take a seat beside Xiao Xingchen. Night had already begun to fall around them, the stars beginning to wink into existence. "Do you want Taoism, Taoism, or poetry?"

"Are you going to read to me?" Xiao Xingchen's voice sounded surprised, with a tinge of restrained hope. The bandages were once more over his eyes, hiding them as he turned to Xue Yang. 

"Of course!" Xue Yang replied. He hadn't taken the books with a specific intention of reading to Xiao Xingchen. He had taken them on a whim to spite the bookseller. Now that he had seen them, though, he could tell that they were completely boring, bland books. These were the type of books that sat in the library of every clan, untouched except by disciples that were forced to read them in class or for punishment. Xue Yang hated both things.

"Let's try the poetry one," he decided, tossing the other two books into the basket. He moved closer to the light of the furnace, and to Xiao Xingchen. The Daozhang continued to work on the quilt. 

Xue Yang did not completely hate some of the poetry he read. Most of the poems were ballads of warriors fighting flying monkeys or people burning beanstalks to boil beans. The poetry was far too high-brow for his uncultured background. His eyes flitted up from time to time as he read, watching the soft smile on Xiao Xingchen's face. Aside from the incident with the bookseller, today hadn't been so bad for the Daozhang. Maybe Xiao Xingchen was finally getting over A-Qing's death.

Her paper remains were still outside, covered in a talisman net that he had made a few weeks ago and periodically repaired as talismans got older and fell off. He still had no idea how to eliminate the paper monster when Xiao Xingchen was set on keeping A-Qing's remains in the coffin home. Despite the warm day, the ground was still too frozen to try to bury the paper monster. When the ground defrosted in the spring, they could bury the paper monster and forget about A-Qing once and for all.

"The chicken should be about ready," Xiao Xingchen interrupted him at last. Xue Yang was thankful to set down the book. He got up and made the rice while Xiao Xingchen worked on the quilt. He had already run through all of the chicken feathers and was now simply quilting the three blankets together. 

After the rice was made, Xue Yang took the chicken out of the oven and cracked the dried clay. He unwrapped the wilted lotus leaf and pulled it back to reveal a well-cooked and steaming chicken. His stomach growled as he served dinner. Xiao Xingchen set the quilt aside to join him. 

"It smells good," he said as he picked up his chopsticks. "Getting a chicken was a good idea."

"You're serious about getting chicks in the spring?" Xue Yang pressed as he began to eat. Xiao Xingchen nodded. 

"And possibly seeds to plant a garden," Xiao Xingchen added. "We can make this place an actual home."

Xue Yang fell silent as he ate. A coffin home was never meant to be a home. But then, the few places Xue Yang had ever called home had been taken from him. At least no one would be eager to kick them out of the coffin home. 

He thought of how he had been trying to get Xiao Xingchen to trust him. It seemed that he did now, if he was talking about making a home together with Xue Yang. Yet...hadn't he been so ready to leave Xue Yang just a month or so ago? If Xiao Xingchen made a home at the coffin house, at least he wouldn't be willing to leave it so easily. 

"It's a good idea. I'd like that," he murmured at last.

Their topic of conversation turned to the poetry Xue Yang had been reading. He wasn't, in truth, a great fan of it. Xiao Xingchen was of a different mind, praising the poet for some inane allegory Xue Yang had failed to see within talk of beanstalks and beans. But Xiao Xingchen smiled as he spoke, and for once he seemed to be happy. It meant Xue Yang was doing something right. He wanted Xiao Xingchen to be happy and confident with himself so Xue Yang could effectively tear him down. Right now, that meant his only goal was fixing the cracks in the Daozhang. If reading to him did that, then Xue Yang would power through terrible poetry. 

After dinner, they went back to their respective activities. Xue Yang switched to one of the Taoist manuscripts, but it wasn't much better. He'd rather just make up stories to entertain Xiao Xingchen with. How could the Daozhang get any entertainment from these allegories? Xue Yang decided to add a few words of his own to what he was reading, eyes darting over to Xiao Xingchen to see if he noticed. The needle never paused in its work, so Xue Yang continued to add a few words, a few sentences, to the book. Eventually, he had discarded most of the prose for a tale of his own. 

"Isn't this supposed to be a scripture?" Xiao Xingchen suddenly interrupted. "Why is he stealing plums from the blind man?"

"You're the Daozhang," Xue Yang retorted, a grin on his face. It looked like Xiao Xingchen had finally caught on. "You tell me."

"Are you sure you're reading it right?" Xiao Xingchen asked. He finished off the row of stitches and set the quilting aside. He had sewn the four corners of the blankets together so they could still use the blankets before he was finished with his work. 

"It was boring, so I added a few things," Xue Yang admitted proudly. "It makes the story better."

"The main character is stealing everything!" Xiao Xingchen retorted. There was laughter in his voice, though, and a smile on his face. Xue Yang was also smiling, he realized after a moment. When had he last smiled so freely?

"Are you afraid he'll get caught?" Xue Yang teased. 

To his surprise, Xiao Xingchen leaned over and reached out to cup his jaw. The breath left Xue Yang's body as he watched the expression on Xiao XIngchen's face. A thumb stroked over his cheek before Xiao Xingchen leaned in to press his lips against Xue Yang's.

Xue Yang's eyes widened and he sat there in shocked silence as Xiao Xingchen kissed him. Then he tossed the book on the floor and pulled Xiao Xingchen closer to return the kiss with fervor. He couldn't say what Xiao Xingchen had been thinking, to kiss him so. It didn't really matter. Whatever Xue Yang had done, it had been right. 

They finally parted, their lips still close, nearly touching, as they leaned heavily against once another. Xue Yang's arms had found their way around Xiao Xingchen, one hand woven into his hair and the other encircling his waist. Xiao Xingchen's lips were bruised and beautiful. 

Xiao Xingchen seemed to be at a loss for words, his own arm similarly placed around Xue Yang's waist. Xue Yang leaned close again, nudging his lips against Xiao Xingchen's. The kiss was returned with supple lips. Xue Yang closed his eyes and lost himself within the closeness of their embrace. He had never imagined that kissing Xiao Xingchen would be a tender thing once they had broken through the first kiss, yet each one remained slow and firm. This wasn't what he had intended when he had first plotted to own Xiao Xingchen, body and soul. But it was still ownership nevertheless, wasn't it?

Xiao Xingchen finally untangled himself from Xue Yang's snare and pulled him back towards their shared bed, pressing kisses to his face and lips after every few steps. Xue Yang followed, sure of where they were headed yet still unsure _why_. As Xiao Xingchen's fingers began to tug at his belt, Xue Yang decided the why didn't matter, not now. It was all a part of his revenge, after all, to have Xiao Xingchen sharing his body with his worst enemy. His own fingers went to Xiao Xingchen's sash, pulling off layer after layer of robes, both his and Xiao Xingchen's. 

Xue Yang lay back upon the bed and pulled Xiao Xingchen on top of him. Their lips found each other again as Xiao Xingchen reached in between them. He groaned into the kiss, bucking into the hand that held him. Thoughts of revenge floated out of his head as Xiao Xingchen set up a steady rhythm. Their kisses remained slow, languid. 

Xue Yang ran his hand down his lover's abdomen to reciprocate. Xiao Xingchen moaned against his lips, pressing into Xue Yang's hand. Then their desires were pressed together, moving together as they were coaxed towards orgasm with each other's hands. 

Afterwards, Xiao Xingchen held him close as Xue Yang ran lips along his shoulder, eyelids drooping in fatigue. Xue Yang didn't want to ask what had prompted this event, didn't want to ask if Xiao Xingchen would regret it in the morning, if this would make him rethink his opinion on not changing their friendship. Still, Xue Yang had to know. 

"Why?" 

Xiao Xingchen was silent for a long moment, contemplating the question. 

"Because I'm trusting you not to leave," Xiao Xingchen finally whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great news! This fic finally has an ending. My goal is a total of 20 chapters, but it may be closer to 19. We'll see how it turns out once the editing is finished!


	17. Feburary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to having long-ish chapters again! I was hoping to have this done by April so I could start this Wangyu fic for Camp Nano, but...but that's not going to happen, apparently. Since April is in like two days. Well, you never know! Enjoy this long-ish chapter!

A month passed quickly for Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen. From time to time, the thought crossed Xue Yang's mind that he had finished what he came here to do. Xiao Xingchen trusted him now, had given him his body in every way, depended on him. Leaving now would break him like nothing else. 

But Xue Yang owned Xiao Xingchen. It seemed petty to give that up after only a month. He didn't want to be parted from the Daozhang. Having Xiao Xingchen as a pet was sure to come in handy one day, when other cultivators tracked them down. Xiao Xingchen would stand in between them and protect Xue Yang from the others, facing off against his own kind. Even when they told him that it was Xue Yang deceiving him, would Xiao Xingchen really turn against his lover?

They headed out to the market together. Wind swept through the streets of Yi City, cutting through their thin clothes. It was slightly too long until springtime for Xue Yang's preferences. Too long until they could purchase the chicks that they could raise in the coffin house, too long until they could kill them off one by one for stew, keeping only enough alive to hatch the next round of brood. Still, he could stick close to Xiao Xingchen and enjoy a bit of his warmth. 

The call of the bookseller, the same one from before, broke through his thoughts. A smirk ran across his face. He was in a good mood. 

"Daozhang," Xue Yang suggested as they walked down the streets. He eyed the food available, wishing something other than cabbage was available at this time of year. He wanted roasted chicken and apples and plums, delicious fruits from the summer months. Instead there was cabbage and turnips. "I'm going to look at some other things. I'll come find you when I'm finished."

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen said. He did not pause his gait. Xue Yang turned and left him wandering between the food stalls. He suddenly had other plans for the day that didn't include nosy cultivators. 

He found the bookseller's stall easily and tucked himself up against a nearby wall to guard against the wind. He watched as the bookseller yelled out his wares, as people walked by and ignored the man. It wasn't just his attitude towards people that he assumed count not afford his books that drove customers away. The fact was that there were few in Yi City that could read at all, and even fewer that had the time and money to waste on books. Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen were of the latter group, technically speaking. They had found time, but neither had the money to splurge on such things. 

After a while, Xue Yang sidled up to the stall and leaned on a stack of books, grinning precociously at the bookseller. The man was facing away from him. When the bookseller turned around, he blanched when he saw Xue Yang. There was no doubt in his mind that the man remembered him. 

"You!" the bookseller growled. "Get away from my stall! I don't need delinquents like you around, driving my customers away!"

Xue Yang laughed. 

"What customers?" he asked. He idly picked up a book by its cover and dropped it to the ground. It was another one of those stupid Taoist scriptures. "Why do you assume I'm here to wreck your stall, when all I want are a few storybooks? Something more exciting than poems and Taoist scriptures. Got anything less high-brow?"

The bookseller's face started to turn purple. A glance at the books on the table revealed that the majority of the books were the type that cultivators regularly read and studied. They were things that Xiao Xingchen had probably read, when he could see. Even Xue Yang had been forced through a few of them while studying with the LanglingJin sect. He had hated nearly every one of them. 

"Oh, you want stories of dragons and fairies and mortals turned to gods, do you?" the bookseller nearly roared. Vendors in nearby stalls were watching the exchange between them, some with wariness and some with annoyance.

"That's right!" Xue Yang laughed as he picked up another book and dropped it to the ground as well. "What have you got for me?"

As fun as it was annoying the bookseller, Xue Yang had another motivation. He had often heard stories told in teahouses about dragons and phoenixes and heroes and villains. Yet he had never once found a book filled with any of these marvelous tales. Sure, there were childrens' storybooks that were more pictures than words. Surely there was some kind of cross between the two, something where he didn't have to make up so many words based on pictures. Why couldn't there be a Taoist scripture or book of poems that told him stories like the ones he had heard in teahouses?

"Such thing does not exist!" the bookseller claimed. "Writing is an art! To publish even one book takes weeks and weeks of effort! Why would someone write down such fanciful things? No, only _important_ things are written down. Educated people want to cultivate and use poetry to woo the ones they love! They don't want to read about _dragons_!"

"What about the Yiling Laozu?" Xue Yang demanded. "Are there stories about him?"

"Oh, now you want stories about the Yiling Laozu!" the bookseller exclaimed. He placed both hands on the table and leaned over into Xue Yang's face, his voice dropping low and dangerous. "Let me tell you about the Yiling Laozu. He was a crooked, depraved man who never picked up a book in his life. Be careful, delinquent, that you don't follow in his footsteps!"

_A little late for that_ , Xue Yang thought to himself. Annoyance flashed across his face before being once again replaced with a grin. His canines peeked through his lips to turn his smile into an impish one.

"Yes, but do you have any books about him?" Xue Yang demanded, pretending to be unfazed by the man who stood breathing in his face. He could pull out his knife and cut the fool's throat before he even noticed, let the blood rain down and destroy all of his precious books. Unfortunately, Xue Yang actually did want a bit of help choosing the next books to read to Xiao Xingchen. 

"Why would I carry books about the Yiling Laozu?" the bookseller growled. He pushed himself away from the table, disgusted. "Get lost! Books are wasted on the likes of you." 

Xue Yang was equally disgusted by the bookseller. He knew that he couldn't kill the man right here and now, in the center of the marketplace. But there was nothing to stop _Xiao Xingchen_ from killing a walking corpse disrupting the marketplace. He reached into a pouch at his side, eyeing the other patrons and owners of the nearby stalls. He and the bookseller were being watched with an air of wariness, as if their conflict would drive away business for everyone else. 

He smirked and leaned over the table, flipping through the books at his leisure. His hand curled around his newest experimental powder, cobbled together from various sources. This one contained dust made from people of the small town they had found that past summer. He smiled at the fond memory as he perused the books, trying to find _something_ interesting to read. 

"What did I just tell you?" the bookseller demanded. "Get lost!"

"But Master Bookseller," Xue Yang began. "I just wanted to see if you had any storybooks! Surely you wouldn't turn away one of the rare customers that come here?"

As he spoke, he threw the corpse poisoning powder into the man's face. The bookseller began to cough and hack, pawing at his face. Xue Yang smirked, watching him intently. To anyone truly watching the exchange between them, they might have caught a glimpse of the powder flinging from Xue Yang's hand into the man's face. On the other hand, it might have been a simple hand gesture. It all depended on who they were telling and whether they knew that Xue Yang lived in town. There were plenty of people that didn't bother him, knowing what he was capable of. A few smashed stalls had taught them plenty. 

"What did you...?" the man gasped, stumbling into the back wall of the stall. It began to collapse around him. Xue Yang quickly raised his hand to catch the roof, supporting the cloth and wooden structure. 

"I _said_ , surely you wouldn't turn away a _rare_ customer," Xue Yang said. His voice rang with laughter, his canines prominent as they poked through his smile. "And also I was asking about storybooks?"

The man stumbled forward, charging at Xue Yang. Books flew as he carelessly flipped the table over at the delinquent standing in front of him. Xue Yang let go of the roof, allowing the stall to buckle around the man. He turned and began to saunter off, leaving the man inside of the collapsing stall. 

Xue Yang was the type of person that liked to improve himself and his skills. Even if he was the best at something, he knew he could be better at other things. Following in the Yiling Laozu's footsteps, he was able to create walking corpses that exuded corpse poisoning powder into the air. Collecting that corpse poisoning powder, he was able to turn even more people into corpses. But the process was slow. There was always ample time for them to find an antidote or make a bowl of congee before they turned into walking corpses. With such a little amount of dust made from people the summer before, he had already used half of it in his latest concoction. The results were obvious. 

The bookseller had stopped coughing after a moment, having already ingested the powder. As he pushed aside the remnants of the stall and charged after Xue Yang, his footsteps stumbled, a low moan coming from his throat. Xue Yang counted the time as best as he was able as he turned to face the man. It had only been a minute, maybe two, since he had ingested the corpse poisoning powder. He shouldn't be a corpse yet, though the effects were clear. His eyes were bloodshot, his breath coming in huffs as his body began to slow down around him. 

"What did you _do_?" he roared. Tried to roar, really. His voice was strained and weak. Xue Yang smirked. The vendors of the other stalls had decided during the collapse of the bookseller's stall that now would be a very, very good time to leave. They were quickly packing up their wares. 

"What did I do?" Xue Yang demanded. "What did _you_ do, busting up your own stall like that and blaming me for it!"

He ducked over to one of the other vendors, pulling the poor man out into the streets. The vendor was still clutching a jar of cinnabar to his chest. 

"Just ask this honest man!" Xue Yang said. He smirked as he turned to the merchant. "I was just looking at books, wasn't I? I'm sure you saw the whole thing."

The merchant shook his head quickly, eyes wide in fear. He was a regular at the market and had seen Xue Yang with Xiao Xingchen many times before. He had seen Xue Yang pull out his knife and threaten merchants plenty of times, seen him kick over stalls when he wasn't happy. He had also seen him willing to settle down and pay, when he really had to. Xue Yang was the type of person that a merchant feared because he did what he wanted and feared no one. He could just as easily kick over a stall as stab someone, though no one had caught him doing such yet. 

"I-I didn't see anything!" the merchant squealed. Xue Yang pulled the jar of cinnabar out of his arms and gave him a small push towards his stall. 

"See?" Xue Yang declared, turning back to the bookseller. "Nothing to see." He tossed the jar of cinnabar in his hand lightly, considering. The merchant behind him didn't seem to worry about it too much. All the better, with how many talismans Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen wrote between them. Selling talismans was easy money in some places, and the ones that couldn't be sold, Xue Yang attached to the net he had slung over A-Qing's paper body. The body of the paper monster, dormant for now. 

"I know you did something!" the bookseller wheezed. His eyes were bloodshot and he stumbled forward and slightly sideways, crashing into the stall next to his. The inhabitant had already fled. The bookseller righted himself and charged at Xue Yang. He nimbly side stepped the man. 

"The way you treat your customers is really something else, Master Bookseller!" Xue Yang taunted. He circled around and backed towards the bookseller's booth. "All I asked for was a few book recommendations!"

He watched as the rest of the people around them cleared out, forming an empty area around the two of them. Onlookers began to gather around the edges, hesitant to get involved in whatever altercation was happening in the street, but curious all the same. The bookseller's skin was turning paler, the blue of his veins visible underneath translucent flesh. He shriveled, his middle age giving way to advanced age. Xue Yang watched as he crept backwards, his boot hitting the remains of the wooden and cloth bookstand behind him. He reached for his knife. 

The bookseller charged at him again, or tried to. With a few stumbling steps, the man tilted and tipped over, landing face-first into the ground. He crumbled into dust on impact. Xue Yang laughed. His corpse poisoning powder, the newest formula he had anyway, worked faster than any corpse poisoning powder he had ever tried before. It probably worked faster even than the Yiling Laozu's corpse poisoning powder! It was a shame that he had had to use half of it on this high-browed buffoon. If it could do this to a living human, what could it do to an actual monster? He wanted to go night hunting with Xiao Xingchen and find out. 

There were drawbacks, of course. His limited amount of resources notwithstanding, this powder turned someone into a corpse and then past the stage in which they would have become a walking corpse. It flat out killed people in minutes, nearly as fast as a sword. In some cases, perhaps even faster than a sword. 

As if on cue, he could hear Xiao Xingchen approach, his quiet apologies barely reaching Xue Yang's ears as he wove through the crowd of people. Xue Yang rushed over to him, people scattering out of his way. The gossips had already begun to fabricate rumors about what had happened. Though no weapon had been drawn, Xue Yang was already being depicted as a delinquent who had drawn a sword on the man, or perhaps, in rare cases, the one the bookseller had drawn his sword on after Xue Yang had pestered him. Xiao Xingchen did not listen to the town gossips, which was all the better for Xue Yang. If the tale did not contain tales of walking corpses or other things to hunt, Xiao Xingchen was not interested in it. He only cared about facts and things that could be proven. 

"Daozhang!" Xue Yang cried, grabbing his arm. "You should have seen it! A man just turned to dust, right in front of my eyes!"

"He turned to dust?" Xiao Xingchen asked, confused. Xue Yang could see that he had caught his interest. He looped his arm through Xiao Xingchen's and guided him to the bookseller's stall. Merchants were beginning to filter back into the air and check their wares for thieves. 

"Come, let me carry the basket for a while," Xue Yang offered. He took the basket, effortlessly slipping the jar of cinnabar into it and pulling the cloth down over it to hide it. With any luck, the merchant he had taken it from would be too scatterbrained after watching a man turn to dust to realize what Xue Yang done. "Yes, dust! It was very curious. I heard mention that he carried a curse on him that caused him to turn to dust."

"If it was a curse, then either he owned a cursed object, or the curse was placed on him directly," Xiao Xingchen explained. Xue Yang smirked. He really adored the fact that Xiao Xingchen didn't have a pair of eyes in his head. Even after a year, he didn't suspect Xue Yang of being involved in the man's demise. How many people had they killed together? How often had Xue Yang slipped up in a moment of weakness? At most, Xiao Xingchen simply thought him capable of pranking others. He didn't think Xue Yang was a murderer. 

"If that's the case," Xue Yang agreed, his voice eager, "then we would be remiss not to check out his wares and make sure there isn't a cursed object hidden in his stall."

"We would be," Xiao XIngchen agreed. There was no greed in his voice. He truly intended to sort through the books and not take any for himself, Xue Yang knew immediately. He set their basket down beside the stall and helped Xiao Xingchen right the wooden and canvas structure again. Once it was upright, Xue Yang began to sort through the books, looking for something interesting to read. Xiao Xingchen sorted the books into piles, as well, neater than Xue Yang's. He placed the heavier and larger books on the bottom of each pile, lighter and smaller ones on top. It was methodical. Efficient.

"I...don't know that I would recognize a curse without seeing it," Xiao Xingchen said after a moment. He sounded reluctant to voice his concerns. "I know you've had experience with curses, as well. Would you be able to help me find it?"

"Of course," Xue Yang replied nonchalantly, as if he had been planning on doing just that. "Just keep sorting the books, and we'll take the most suspicious ones away with us."

Xiao Xingchen did just that, making it easy for Xue Yang to pick and choose a few interesting ones to take with him. Sadly, they were all books of dense literature and there were no storybooks in sight. He had at least expected something fun to read out of all of this. After all, he had killed a man in broad daylight and used half his corpse poisoning powder on the bookseller. It seemed like a waste if he didn't get _something_ out of it. 

"These books are most definitely suspicious," Xue Yang announced, handing a small stack to Xiao Xingchen. He had packed in some taoist scripture that looked inherently boring as a sacrificial book. He would draw some sort of curse on it later, blame the book for the whole ordeal, and burn it or whatever Xiao Xingchen thought necessary to rid it of evil. 

"So many of them?" Xiao Xingchen pursed his lips, concern filtering over his face. "I thought there would only be one cursed book."

"How can I tell what a curse looks like?" Xue Yang retorted. "They have suspicious symbols on them and I don't want to stand here all day looking at books. It's getting cold and I want to go home."

So they began their journey home. The wind began to pick up, announcing more cold weather was coming. Xue Yang didn't mind it so much. Xiao Xingchen had recently finished their quilt, and Xue Yang was eager to use it. Thoughts of exactly what would happen beneath the quilt when they returned home kept him warm as they walked. 

A sudden gust of wind hit them as they neared the coffin house. The basket sagged once and then spilt their wares across the ground. Xue Yang cursed as he rescued the precious stolen jar of cinnabar, checking it for cracks. It was, thankfully, unharmed from the fall. A hand reaching around on the ground caught his attention and he saw that Xiao Xingchen was attempting to help pick up the vegetables that had begun rolling away. 

"Daozhang, don't be stupid," Xue Yang protested. He tucked a cabbage into Xiao Xingchen's arms. "You can't even see where everything went. Here, I'll grab them and you can carry them. We can fix the basket later."

"Alright then," Xiao Xingchen agreed. Xue Yang loaded up both of their arms and led the way back to their coffin home and out of the cold winter air. 

As soon as they stepped over the threshold of the coffin home, Xue Yang sighed. Talismans fluttered around the yard, abandoned, useless. These were the talismans that he had stuck onto the paper monster in an attempt to keep it from rising up and harming them both while they slept. Periodically, he tried to subdue it with fresh talismans. It seemed that the paper monster was becoming immune to that type of talisman, or perhaps becoming stronger despite them. 

"Why don't you head inside, Daozhang?" Xue Yang said. "It's cold enough out. I'll put the cabbages away while you start dinner."

"Alright," Xiao Xingchen agreed. Xue Yang took the cabbages out of his arms and the Daozhang went inside, his arms still holding the broken basket, the books, and the small sack of rice that would soon become the base of their meal. 

Xue Yang waited until Xiao Xingchen was inside to chuck the cabbages aside and race over to the coffin. The talisman net that covered A-Qing was ragged, bits of wet paper poking through. Only a third of the talismans were left. It was a good thing he had snagged a fresh jar of cinnabar. Xue Yang went back over and picked up the jar of cinnabar before going inside. He needed to make another talisman net to throw over the paper monster. Fortunately, he still had some good ideas as to how to suppress the paper monster that still threatened them. 

It had been months since A-Qing had died, but the ground had not yet unfrozen for long enough to dig a grave for her. Xue Yang had been regularly making more talismans and sticking them onto the paper doll in hopes of keeping the paper monster at bay. As it turned out, subduing the monster was harder than he had expected. No, not harder. More tedious. He had spent hours painting enough talismans to cover the doll the first time, and then the second time, and now it threatened to dispel all of his work and force itself into waking. He would much prefer that it stay dormant. It was nothing that an additional net of talismans couldn't handle. 

Xue Yang pushed into the small house they shared, hugging the jar of cinnabar close to him. He went to the box where they typically kept the cinnabar and refilled it with the red powder. Xiao Xingchen was near the kitchen, cooking rice for dinner. Xue Yang found the box of rice paper and brush from where they kept it beside cinnabar box. While he occasionally misplaced things just to drive Xiao Xingchen mad, he had found it easier to keep the paper next to the cinnabar, with the brush nearby. Who knew how long it would be before the paper monster was able to move on its own and find them within the house?

He wasn't _scared_ , he would have claimed, had anyone asked. He was, perhaps, a bit _concerned_ about the fact that the paper monster seemed to be strong enough to throw talismans off. He was _concerned_ that it would do so at the most inopportune time possible, such as in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. Xue Yang had taken to waking in the middle of the night just to check on it. He didn't trust its compliance; monsters had a tendency to be unpredictable in pursuit of their goals.

"I'm going to make some more talismans to sell," he explained. He stoked the fire in the furnace and began to create talisman after talisman. As long as he left some for them to sell at the market, Xiao Xingchen wouldn't get suspicious as to why he was making so many talismans. Xue Yang heard a noise of acknowledgement from the kitchen and set to work. 

Sometime later, an arm wrapped unexpectedly around his waist. Before Xue Yang could react, lips graced his neck, followed by a light graze of teeth. Xue Yang stared at his pile of talismans, mentally calculating whether or not he had enough to make a secondary net to cast over the paper monster. He forced himself to relax into the hold, turning his face slightly to look at Xiao Xingchen. 

It was really amazing that the Daozhang trusted him. Granted, Xue Yang had played the part of a budding cultivator well enough, hadn't done anything in front of Xiao Xingchen that would tip his hand too much. Xue Yang congratulated himself on his victory once again, privately cheering himself on. He had though Xiao Xingchen to be arrogant and stupid, but he had never imagined him to be _this_ arrogant and stupid. He was blind in so many ways. He _trusted_ Xue Yang, after all of the people Xue Yang had convinced him to kill! Innocent people, begging for their lives...

Xue Yang's eyes darkened at the thought, a tendril of lust working its way through him. His eyes flitted back to the talismans. He didn't have enough, not quite yet. He had to finish this task, and then... His eyes flitted over to the bed, a smile curving itself onto his face. 

He reached out to cup Xiao Xingchen's face, brought him in for a kiss that was passionate, wanting, full of need. It was a prelude to what would come later, if the past month had been any indication. Xiao Xingchen returned with just as much passion before drawing back with a smile on his face. 

"I'm still cooking dinner," he said regretfully. "I'm afraid if we continue this now..."

"So you came over to harass me and then leave?" Xue Yang pouted. "Daozhang, you're supposed to be the virtuous one!"

Xiao Xingchen laughed and returned to the kitchen, despite the complaints Xue Yang voiced. It was better that way, anyway. Xue Yang returned to the talismans. Once he had created enough, he wove them into a net they had put together to catch fish when the river wasn't frozen. Sacrificing a potential source of food to keep the paper monster at bay was worth it, in Xue Yang's mind. He quickly worked the talismans into the net, adding even more than he had before. He stood up, slinging the net onto his back. 

He left their house without a word, walking over to the coffin and tossing the net onto the paper body of A-Qing. There was enough talismans on there to subdue the paper monster this time, he was sure. He couldn't even see the paper body below it, covered as it was in talismans.

"Do us both a favor and don't try to escape this time," Xue Yang spoke lowly to the body in the coffin. He turned and made his way back to the house, closing the door behind him. The wind was beginning to pick up again, promising an even colder night ahead. He went over and huddled near the furnace. 

Dinner that night was peanut and turnip congee. Xue Yang was continually amazed that despite not having the creativity to insult someone properly, Xiao Xingchen still managed to make a variety of meals from just a few staple ingredients. They sat near each other at the table, knees nearly touching underneath of it. Xue Yang was sitting in A-Qing's spot now, just to be closer to Xiao Xingchen. He wanted to be closer to him, to know that Xiao Xingchen _trusted_ him to be this close. Xiao Xingchen's trust was an endless source of amusement for Xue Yang. 

After dinner, Xue Yang pulled out the books they had rescued from the bookseller's booth. He and Xiao Xingchen needed to go through them, after all, and determine if they were cursed or not. Xue Yang reasoned that the only way to determine _that_ was to read them. 

"Reading a cursed book is typically how one gets cursed by the book," Xiao Xingchen pointed out. 

"So you're saying that we'll be fine as long as we don't read these books?" Xue Yang scoffed. "If they're cursed, they're cursed and we should take care of them properly."

"Then we should bury them all," Xiao Xingchen reasoned. 

"Think of all the knowledge that will be lost to the world, if that's the case!" Xue Yang argued. It was funny. As a kid growing up on the streets, he had always despised books and those people who thought that reading made them smarter, _better_ than him. So he got smart in other ways. Now here he was, arguing with Xiao Xingchen, a cultivator who _should_ have been trying to save any book possible, to save _all_ knowledge, about whether they should bury them in the dirt. 

"Well...what kind of books are they?" Xiao Xingchen finally asked. "Perhaps there are other copies easily available. If that's the case, the world will not miss a single copy. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"This one is some kind of medical guide," Xue Yang scrunched his nose as he realized what it was. It would probably be useful to them both one day, if either one of them got badly injured. Flipping through, he could see that there were cures for a variety of ailments dealing with broken bones, burns, and nausea. He wondered if there were poisons listed in there, as well. 

"With how often we go night hunting, that could be useful," Xiao Xingchen thought aloud. "But they are easy enough to come by. Let's bury it in the ground, just to be sure."

"The ground is still frozen," Xue Yang protested. "It's so cold out."

"You're right." Xiao Xingchen's face suddenly took on a melancholy tone. "We haven't even had a chance to bury A-Qing yet, have we? It's already been two months."

Xue Yang pursed his lips and put the book down. It had been months, and still Xiao Xingchen thought of her for no reason. He couldn't wait for the ground to thaw out so he could throw the paper body into the ground, cover it with enough dirt and talismans to make it stay down there for a good, long while. Then he could go back to this dream he was having with Xiao Xingchen, this life where he had Xiao XIngchen's trust and willingness to go along with Xue Yang's suggestions. A life where they were friends, lovers, roommates. Just for a little while. Once it had been long enough, Xue Yang would take his revenge, would tell Xiao Xingchen everything he had done at Xue Yang's beck and call. And if he had played his cards right, it wouldn't matter at all. Xiao Xingchen would still trust him, still want to be around him, at that point. He would still want to live with him, go night hunting with him.

"Let's put this aside for now," Xiao Xingchen changed the subject. "The bookseller was already cursed today, so it's unlikely to strike again in such a short amount of time."

Xue Yang watched him get up and get ready for bed. He set aside the books as well, pulling off his robes and slipping into bed beside Xiao Xingchen. A hand grabbed his shoulder while a white-clothed leg wrapped itself around his own.

"You're not wearing any clothes," Xiao Xingchen murmured after a moment. The comment held only a hint of surprise in it. 

"I don't know why you bother wearing any," Xue Yang pouted. He scooted closer, pressing against Xiao Xingchen. He reached out and tugged lightly at the white undergarments the Daozhang wore. "You know I'll just take them off of you anyway."

"Perhaps that's _why_ I wear them," Xiao Xingchen smiled at him. His smiles were normally benevolent and lacking in any judgment or malice at all. Now, though, there was a hint of amusement there, the barest touch of a glint that told Xue Yang that Xiao Xingchen was being mischievous. It wasn't often that he got to enjoy his Daozhang like this. Xiao Xingchen was usually much too stuck up to enjoy playing pranks himself. When he was here, though, when he was Xue Yang's...

"I suppose it would disappoint you greatly if I didn't take them off, them?" Xue Yang retorted. His hands were already pressing against Xiao Xingchen, making their way into his undershirt and pressing chilly hands against his chest. Xiao Xingchen shivered from the contact and lust grew in Xue Yang's eyes. 

"Either you take them off, or I get to go to sleep," Xiao Xingchen naively replied. "Either way, I would be content."

"Do you think that those are the only two options?" Xue Yang laughed. He had no doubt that that was exactly what Xiao Xingchen was thinking. "I wish you would be more creative, sometimes. Here, let me show you how to think _creatively_."

Xiao Xingchen offered no protests when Xue Yang began suckling his bare neck, nor when Xue Yang's hand drifted downwards to cup him, still clothed in undergarments. Deft fingers outlined his desire as Xue Yang proceeded to show him exactly what _could_ be done to his body without bothering to take clothes off. 

Mutual moans filled the air as Xue Yang moved on from foreplay. Their mouths connected hungrily as Xue Yang pressed his hand down on the hard outline under thin fabric. Then his body was following. Soon the very thin fabric of Xiao Xingchen's underclothes was the only thing separating their desire from each other. It chafed on them both, but neither particularly cared as Xiao Xingchen wrapped a hand around Xue Yang's waist and tugged him down closer. Xiao Xingchen’s pants fluttered to the floor behind them.

Xue Yang had never been particularly keen on letting someone top him. It was the lack of control the act typically entailed that made him hesitant. Xiao Xingchen had been unassuming when it came to their roles in bed. He had been flexible, more so than Xue Yang would ever have thought. He was gentle, yet powerful. 

Xue Yang had always hated being in this position, hated that he took so much pleasure from it. It wasn't so bad, with Xiao Xingchen. It wasn't what he had imagined, when he had first imagined sharing his body with Xiao Xingchen. Of course he had wanted to take the Daozhang, pin him up against a wall and have his way with him. He still wanted that.

But as a firm, gentle hand took him in hand with a near-perfect technique, Xue Yang had to admit that he really liked this, too. It was slower, gentler, yet no less arousing, no less important to him. He opened his eyes to see Xiao Xingchen's face, perspiration on his brow, eyebrows knitted together in concentration as he fucked Xue Yang in the gentlest way possible. His lips were pursed as he focused so specifically on how to bring Xue Yang pleasure.

They fucked long into the night, both having a fair amount of stamina. 

"We made a mess," Xiao Xingchen stated. Xue Yang smirked and kissed him again, sated. 

"Then we'll have to draw a bath," Xue Yang teased. "But Daozhang, it's so cold outside." He shivered at a sudden draft that seemed to blow in from the door. "Why not just take off your clothes and be naked beside me?"

"Then what will I wear tomorrow?" Xiao Xingchen laughed. He kissed Xue Yang firmly on the lips. 

"Tomorrow is tomorrow," Xue Yang complained. "Today is today. I'm tired. Sleep with me, Daozhang."

"How is Daozhang supposed to sleep with all that stupid moaning you're doing?" a familiar voice interrupted their interlude. 

Xiao Xingchen sat up immediately, his face turning towards the door. Xue Yang continued to lay back on the bed, eyes narrowing as the form of A-Qing stood there, distinctly _not_ made out of paper any longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but seriously, how many of you saw this coming?
> 
> Xue Yang's 'think creatively' comment inspired by Don't Hug Me I'm Scared.


	18. March, Part 1

Things had settled down over the past month, now that A-Qing was back with them. Xiao Xingchen was, naturally, as overjoyed as Xue Yang was sullen by the events that had occurred that night. Xue Yang had a right to be sullen, though. He had underestimated A-Qing. 

When Xiao Xingchen had performed the exorcism on A-Qing, the one that had inevitably turned her entire body to paper, Xue Yang had been sure that A-Qing had died as a result. She should have died, the paper monster taking over what was left of her body. He had been indubitably wrong. 

"Daozhang," A-Qing wheedled. "I want to go night hunting, too! Haven't I proven myself brave enough?"

"You're very brave," Xiao Xingchen agreed. They were enjoying the warm weather in the market, Xiao Xingchen holding the newly-repaired basket in his hand while A-Qing walked beside him, tapping her bamboo pole. Xue Yang watched them sullenly, rolling a new piece of candy in his fingers. The fifth new piece of candy in as many days, courtesy of his daoshi. Xue Yang wasn't sure what to think. 

"Do I have to tell you again how I daringly defeated the tree-thing?" A-Qing demanded. 

"You've already told us so many times," Xue Yang spoke up petulantly. "Just because you add embellishments every time you tell the story doesn't make it any better."

"Yes, it does!" A-Qing insisted. She turned back to Xiao Xingchen, who was grinning as he examined potatoes in a stall. Xue Yang narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand how Xiao Xingchen was so delighted by A-Qing's daring tale, especially when it became even more unbelievable with each retelling. That didn't stop her from opening her mouth to utter the tale again. 

Xue Yang had to admit that the tale, at least the original one she had told that first night, was actually fairly believable. He himself had witnessed the three spirits in her body; that of A-Qing, LingLing, and the paper monster. When Xiao Xingchen had exorcised LingLing, only A-Qing's spirit remained inside of her body to face the paper monster--or the tree-thing, as she kept calling it. Once it had taken over A-Qing's body, its soul must have morphed into a semblance of its original form. 

So all those months that Xue Yang had comforted Xiao Xingchen, forcing the daoshi to depend on him and trust him, A-Qing hadn't quite been dead. According to her, she had been trapped inside of her paper body, ferociously fighting the paper monster on a spiritual level. Xue Yang had no reason to suspect her tale as false. What if the talismans falling off had not been the paper monster gaining in strength after all, but rather a sign of the battle being waged inside of it? Every time he had thrown another net of talismans over the paper body, he had been helping A-Qing subdue the paper monster. Or had A-Qing been helping him? Regardless, the paper monster had been suppressed through a combination of A-Qing's spirit fighting it from the inside and Xue Yang keeping it well-covered in talismans. 

"So you'll let me go night hunting with you this time?" A-Qing demanded once more as they approached their small home. Xue Yang wondered at the best way to convince Xiao Xingchen to leave her at home. If he voiced a single word of approval, of course Xiao Xingchen would take it at face value and agree to let her go. Likewise, if Xue Yang protested too much and A-Qing started crying, he knew the virtuous daoshi would cave. If he remained silent, though, Xiao XIngchen would eventually ask his opinion. Persuading the daoshi to do things was an art, and Xue Yang was the best artist he knew when it came to convincing Xiao Xingchen to do things. He waited until they had crossed the threshold of the coffin home before he finally spoke up. 

"It's not winter anymore," he finally said. "We're supposed to be getting chickens. But the chicken pen isn't finished yet and if we all leave to night hunt, who will feed and care for the delicate chicks?"

"That's right," Xiao Xingchen murmured, cocking his face towards Xue Yang. He was smiling again. "We said we would get chicks this year. Hens for eggs, roosters for cooking. With three of us, there will always be two to go night hunting and one to stay home with the chicks."

Xue Yang could already tell where Xiao Xingchen's mind was going, and he didn't like it. Of course Xiao XIngchen would always be one of the ones going out night hunting. He was the only actual cultivator between the three of them, whereas Xue Yang's power mostly came from demonic cultivation. The thought of Xue Yang and A-Qing going out on a night hunt together was laughable. They'd just as likely get seriously injured than save someone. 

"When did we say we were getting chicks?" A-Qing wanted to know. "Is that the pen we've been working on?"

"Yes," Xue Yang answered quickly. "Daozhang, we should head out tomorrow and see if there have been any strange happenings around. When we find out what kind of trouble is brewing, then we can decide who best should go."

Xue Yang had a lot of confidence in being able to persuade Xiao Xingchen to let him go on the interesting ones. And if the night hunt sounded boring or dull...perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have A-Qing go. If it were a simple ghost in a house, there was no reason for Xue Yang to go. It was the things that required Xiao Xingchen to use his sword that needed Xue Yang's help to aim it. 

"We'll do that," Xiao Xingchen agreed. His smile was bright, naïve. Xue Yang had every intention of taking advantage of the situation, if he could. "For now, let's finish the pen. Then I'll make some rice cakes for dinner."

They finished the chicken pen that night. In the morning, they walked to the next town to gather any sort of news. Xue Yang gratefully sucked on a piece of candy. Six pieces in six days. Was Xiao Xingchen intending to give them candy every day forever? Or would he stop once his stash of candy ran out? Surely he didn't have the money, they couldn't _spare_ the money for him to give Xue Yang and A-Qing candy every day. Yes, Xue Yang thought to himself. Once the candy was gone, Xiao Xingchen would not buy any more. Doing so would be indulgent, and Xiao Xingchen was rarely that.

As he strolled behind A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen, he wondered at his assessment of the man. _Was_ he rarely indulgent? Had he not been giving them both candy for six days straight now? Had he not given A-Qing the _only_ quilt in the house, leaving them both to shiver under his outer robes for warmth? He certainly hadn't indulged Xue Yang in his revenge of the Chang clan, that was for sure. Xue Yang's fingers curled into a fist as he glared hatefully at Xiao Xingchen. Then they relaxed. It was harder to hate the man when he was sucking on candy Xiao Xingchen had given him, when the taste of lips lips lingered even far into the morning. Xue Yang scowled and shoved away the thoughts of affection that often felt the need to permeate his mind. 

They came to a village and decided to stop for lunch. The teahouse they found themselves in was warm, nearly stifling hot. Xue Yang curled close to the window as the waiter brought their tea, feeling the cold air rush in, a sharp contrast to the heated benches and the roaring fire in the hearth. The teahouse was packed with people, all men wearing furs and warm clothes, as if it was still winter outside and not just shy of what one might consider 'warm'. Flowers grew, bees were flying. It was most definitely spring outside, even if it was windy enough to keep outer robes for warmth. 

"Why are there so many people here?" Xiao Xingchen asked the waiter as their food arrived. The waiter wiped his hands on his apron and chuckled nervously. 

"Ah, you haven't heard," the waiter said. Xue Yang turned his attention to the man in interest. Why was it that every time they were looking for information, someone about to give them information started with that sentence? Of course they hadn't heard, or they wouldn't be asking, would they? 

"These men," the waiter said, dropping his voice. "Came from the north to look for their kin. Some are cousins, brothers, uncles, not to mention her father. They brought half the clan down to look for a mother and daughter that went missing. Can you imagine? They've only been missing a week."

"Half the clan?" Xiao Xingchen replied. "They must care for them very much."

Xue Yang rolled his eyes. Something was fishy. People did not send down half their clan, most of them warriors, by the looks of them, for two missing people because they _cared_. They had practically sent down an army. Now if the girl and her mother were dead, he supposed the clan could have been sent down to get revenge. _That_ , Xue Yang understood. More than likely, the mother and child were captives that had escaped. He sipped his tea slowly. They only had enough money for the one pot. 

His eyes flitted over to A-Qing. Did she know that they weren't planning on eating dinner tonight? Well, she wanted to come night hunting. She would understand soon enough that it wasn't a luxurious life of feasting and beating monsters. It was killing for the very things they needed to survive, like food, like medicine. Xue Yang hadn't forgotten the healer he had threatened and coerced into helping them, once. 

How many times had he or Xiao Xingchen gotten hurt trying to kill beasts? Xue Yang did it to watch Xiao Xingchen in all his glory murder the very people he was trying to save. He did it to watch Xiao Xingchen wield his sword with a finesse that made Xue Yang hard just to think about it. 

He did it for the possibility of finding special tools and other things he could use to improve his demonic cultivation. Just like that corpse poisoning powder he had used on the bookseller. It was so much more potent than the typical corpse poisoning powder. He only had a little bit left, and then he'd be out. Could he even find that village again, the one with the dog guarding the elemental stones? Could he even figure out how to use the elemental stones again to turn more people into dust? He had never figured out how the man had used them, before Xiao Xingchen was already burying them in the ground. 

"Er, yes," the waiter was saying. Xue Yang's eyes returned to watching Xiao Xingchen. "So they say." The waiter wasn't as stupid as Xiao Xingchen seemed to be. He knew what this was. The people around them comprised a hunting party. 

"A girl and a woman went missing?" Xue Yang pretended to be interested. He kept his voice low, so that the other men could not easily hear him. "Do people normally go missing in this area?"

"Of course not!" the waiter quickly retorted. Just as Xue Yang suspected. There was no mystery here. No need to get involved in trying to find two people that probably didn't want to be found in the first place. He could imagine that life wouldn't be easy for the two women once their clan got ahold of them again. If she was smart, the mother would have gone to a different city far, far away and turned to prostitution. 

"When did they go missing?" Xiao Xingchen asked. His voice was easy and calm, gentle. Xue Yang already knew he would be interested. Xiao Xingchen was so naive...he couldn't see the men, after all. He didn't know that each man was armed with various weapons, not just swords. These men were here to fight, to kill, whoever had taken their kin from them, even if those kin had voluntarily fled from the clan in the first place. 

"I don't think we need to get involved," Xue Yang quickly spoke up. "With so many people already looking for the woman and her daughter, I'm sure they'll be found quickly. The waiter nodded at Xue Yang. 

"I've already said too much," the waiter said. "Excuse me."

Xiao Xingchen frowned at him as the waiter walked away. "The more people that join this hunt, the easier it will be to find the mother and her daughter," he said tensely. "It's not uncommon for other people to join hunts already in progress."

"No, I agree with the annoying one," A-Qing said quickly. She sounded a bit intimidated by the prospect of going on a night hunt with other people. "These people probably don't want an outsider's help, anyway. They brought so many people as a sign to other people that they don't want help."

"There are a lot of people," Xue Yang agreed. "At least twenty people, all from the same clan, looking for two people. They clearly don't want help. And besides, these aren't cultivators, they're clansmen from the North. It's surprising they came down here at all, which explains why they're keen to look for mother and daughter. Those two must be very valuable to them."

"We should still offer to help," Xiao Xingchen said. "It's the right thing to do. Both of you wanted a night hunt. You shouldn't make excuses."

Xue Yang rolled his eyes again. Something about the missing people had tugged at his heart strings, which meant he was keen on finding the two women and helping them. Xue Yang considered his options. He didn't particularly want to tangle with the clansmen if he didn't have to, which meant either ignoring this case or searching for the girl and mother themselves. Maybe if they actually found the duo, Xiao Xingchen would realize his mistake in practically leading the clansmen to the women. Or perhaps he wouldn't bother listening to their tale, and would only turn them back over to the clansmen. 

That last scenario seemed wrong to him. To take two women who had finally escaped and put them into a situation where they suffered even more...no, if they found the women, Xue Yang would need to convince Xiao Xingchen to kill them. After all, if they found them, surely the clansmen would not be far behind. There wouldn't be enough time to run further. They would have to kill the women, or arm them and take out the clansmen themselves. Xue Yang supposed that the last option would be the most entertaining. He and Xiao Xingchen against twenty-some armed men, with three petite women to help them? Either way, Xiao Xingchen would be killing people. And the women might get their independence after all. Or they might die. It was a bit of a gamble, but he was comfortable with the odds. Xue Yang had always been far too comfortable with the odds.

"Of course you're right, Daozhang," Xue Yang wheedled, a mischievous grin on his face. "But working with other people risks the information being split up among too many people. We should conduct our own, independent investigation into the matter."

A-Qing glared at Xue Yang as if she wanted to say something. But with the two senior members of their little family against her, what could she do but agree? Otherwise, Xiao Xingchen would probably just escort her back to the coffin house before returning to join Xue Yang on their little hunt. They weren't really that far away from Yi City, after all. They could make it back before morning, if they wanted. A full day's travel and Xiao Xingchen would be back and ready to help look for the girl and her mother. A day and a half at the most, if he decided to sleep some. 

"Fine," she huffed in agreement. "But I agree with the annoying one. We should do this separately. _Not_ with other people. It's supposed to be _our_ night hunt, after all."

Was this what they had become? Xue Yang wondered as they all drank tea. A singular group that went on night hunts together? Almost like their own little family, their own little _clan_. He wrinkled his nose at the thought. All he wanted was Xiao Xingchen. Above him, underneath him, caring for him in all the ways he had been when they were together. Who needed a nosey little sister who always seemed to be exactly where she wasn't wanted? 

"It will be our night hunt regardless," Xiao Xingchen promised. "The important part is finding out what took the mother and child and stopping it from taking more."

A sudden realization hit Xue Yang as he poured the last of the tea into his cup. Xiao Xingchen wasn't interested in finding the mother and daughter so much as he was interested in what took the mother and daughter. What would he say when he found the two of them holed up and escaped from an abusive or overly protective clan? Surely he would investigate why they ran away, and if so...what would the bright and gentle Xiao Xingchen do against an abusive clan? Launch a petition for them to stop abusing women and treating him like chattel? Xue Yang nearly laughed at the prospect. Xue Yang knew what he would do, if he were enticed to get involved. He'd kill every last one of the clansmen until they stopped hunting him down. 

"Let's go ask around," Xue Yang said. "The tea's gone, anyway."

And so they did. They spent all afternoon speaking to various people in town, and in doing so, learned quite a few unexpected things. The mother and daughter were here to visit a family member, an aunt who was old and could not travel. The two women seemed to be fairly poor, with only just enough money to stay in the nearby inn for two nights. They had been here all of a day when the aunt had died. Suddenly, they had plenty of money, though the aunt herself had been 'tragically poor', according to multiple people. 

"This is hardly a mystery," A-Qing griped before Xue Yang had a chance to. "Clearly the aunt was hiding money and the mother and daughter, upon discovering it, killed the aunt, stole the money, and left town."

It was exactly where Xue Yang's thoughts were heading. If they hadn't killed the aunt, after all, the aunt would have raised the alarm before they got far enough away to have their chance to escape. It was what he would have done. 

"Ah, that's what we thought," the woman they were currently interviewing agreed. "Especially when it was clear that her aunt had died a very slow, painful death. The mother and daughter left town, leaving their belongings in the inn. It was only a few days later when they hadn't paid for their room that the innkeeper came to kick them out. The innkeeper found the room in shambles, as if someone had tried to rob them. A few days later, a few men from their clan came looking for them, and then a few more...and now there's near two dozens clansmen here looking for these two that have disappeared without a trace."

"They could have tossed their own belongings around," Xue Yang commented. "It would be smart to do that, if they were trying to escape their clan."

"Escape their clan?" The women laughed and leaned over the counter, lowering her voice. "Those men aren't here looking for the women. They could have left at any time. They're looking for something the women had on them, a kettle."

"A kettle?" Xiao Xingchen echoed in surprise. From the way his lips pursed together, Xue Yang could tell that he thought something was suspicious about two women taking a teapot and nothing else before leaving town. It was suspicious that the clansmen weren't looking for the women at all. 

"They came in here asking about it earlier today," the woman revealed. "I don't want to judge, but if two of the women of _my_ family disappeared, especially if they were my wife and daughter, I wouldn't be asking whether or not they had a _kettle_ with them." 

Xue Yang watched out of the corner of his eye as A-Qing leaned, bored, against the counter. Her hands were so deft, he nearly missed the way they darted out and made a piece of candy on the counter disappear. Annoying as she was, she was very good at pickpocketing, waiting until the woman's attention was on Xiao Xingchen before she acted. He did admire that in her, coming from the streets himself. 

"Did they say what this kettle looked like?" Xue Yang asked, shifting slightly to block A-Qing from the woman's view. If she knew what was good for her, A-Qing wouldn't stop at just one piece of candy and she'd share the bounty with Xue Yang later. 

"It's brass," the woman said. "They were scant on details, but wanted to know if I had seen a brass kettle in someone's possession around town, or if anyone had been acting strangely since their women got into town. Acting, strangely! I'll tell you, no one's acting strangely around here! When two women go missing in your town, it's _normal_ for people to be 'acting strangely'. We're scared we'll be next!"

"If only two people have disappeared and it was at the same time, it might be a one-time event," Xiao Xingchen replied evenly. The woman let out a sharp laugh. 

"But it's not just those two, either! The mother and daughter disappeared nearly a week ago. But just two days ago, Lin Chao's horses were all let out of their pen. Us villagers rounded them all up, but at the end of the night, Lin Chao was nowhere to be found! He disappeared without a trace."

They had a lead. Once they had exited the building, Xue Yang allowed Xiao Xingchen to walk ahead a little bit before he reached out and pinched A-Qing. 

"Oh! What was that for?" she demanded. 

"I saw you in there," Xue Yang said. "Share the wealth." A-Qing looked offended. 

"You did _not_ ," she claimed. She continued walking as Xue Yang kept pace beside her. He withdrew his hand with a smirk. 

"Sure I did," he said. "Now hand over half the candy or I'll tell the Daozhang. Who do you think he'll believe? The person with eyes that _saw_ you, or the person who stole his coin purse when you met?"

A-Qing scowled at him, but reached into her pocket. She shoved the piece of candy at him and picked up her pace. Xue Yang grinned and pocketed the candy. He didn't need it right now. He'd wait until tomorrow and see if Xiao Xingchen continued to give him candy. It was always good to have a backup plan.

"Daozhang," he said a while later. "The sun's going down. We should think about finding a place to spend the night."

"We should think about _dinner_ ," A-Qing quipped. Xue Yang smirked. 

"Dinner?" he echoed. "We already had it at the teahouse."

"All we had was a pot of tea," A-Qing argued. Xue Yang grinned. 

"Exactly," he said. "We don't have time to eat, we're on a night hunt."

Xiao Xingchen reached for his arm, giving it a quick squeeze. If Xue Yang had to guess, he would say that Xiao Xingchen was trying to silently tell him to be quiet without alerting A-Qing. He knew he had to be nicer to A-Qing, if he wanted Xiao Xingchen to keep trusting him. Somewhere along the way, the game had changed from 'get Xiao Xingchen to trust him' to 'see how long he could keep Xiao Xingchen's trust'. It had only been a few months since Xiao Xingchen had really started to trust him. He wanted to see how long he could keep it going. Six months? A year? At what point would it be more fun to allow Xiao Xingchen to know his real identity? At what point would their past encounter no longer matter?

"Let's find a place first," Xiao Xingchen suggested. "Then we can discuss food."

Finding a place for three people to stay was harder than it appeared. Virtually every bed in town was taken by a villager or a clansman, even the abandoned houses, though there weren't many of those. It was still chilly at night, making it a bad idea to try to stay the night outside. 

"Are people just stingy here, do you think?" Xue Yang laughed. "Or are there really no spare rooms anywhere in town?"

"There are probably rooms for people who can pay," Xiao Xingchen reasoned amiably. "The crux of our problem is, of course, how 'tragically poor' we are."

"We _are_ tragically poor," Xue Yang sighed. But he had grown up on the streets, as had A-Qing. Between the two of them, they knew of several places where they could spend the night uninterpreted. The problem was getting a blind daoshi, specifically Xiao Xingchen, to agree to slip into an unused attic or cellar that didn't belong to them, that they certainly did not have permission to use. 

"Perhaps we could ask some of the clansmen to share their room," Xiao Xingchen murmured. Xue Yang rolled his eyes. 

"We shouldn't get close to them if we can help it," he said. "Not while we might be looking for the same thing."

"I can go look for a place to sleep by myself," A-Qing suddenly spoke up. Xue Yang knew she would either play on people's feelings for a poor, blind girl, or else squirm into a recess somewhere to spend the night. Not fun by any means, but it would work.

"I'm sure we can find a place," Xiao Xingchen said calmly. "There's no reason to split up."

"Who said anything about splitting up?" Xue Yang smirked. He wrapped an arm around the daoshi's waist, leaning in to whisper into his ear. "I intend to find a very comfortable bed to share with you tonight."

"Oh gross," A-Qing made a face, clearly having heard them. "Daozhang, the woman from the shop before was so nice to me. I'll just go ask her for a place to stay. You can find me there in the morning."

"Very well," Xiao Xingchen sighed. He was prudent when he needed to be. If A-Qing was asleep in a bed, even alone, then she would be safer than they would be night-hunting. "We aren't far enough along to know if this is a beast, anyway. There are still too many unknown answers."

So they bid farewell, Xue Yang grinning in amusement. He didn't know if she would actually go to the woman and beg for a meal and a bed or not. There was a deep irony if she did, though, after having stolen from her that very day. A-Qing had such a thick face. 

"Now, where do you think we should spend the night?" Xue Yang grinned. The sun was setting, and with it, the temperature. They didn't need a bed so much as a place out of the wind. He and Xiao Xingchen would shiver underneath his outer robes, or do other things to keep themselves warm. 

"Lin Chao was a hostler," Xiao Xingchen finally supplied. "He had to have stables somewhere."

"We already passed them," Xue Yang replied. "There are clansman already in both the house and the barn. Come on, let's go down this alley and see if there's a place to stay."

In the end, Xue Yang found a locked storeroom and broke the lock. He pulled the door open and pushed Xiao Xingchen inside before shutting the door. He guided Xiao Xingchen over to a few sacks of rice to use as some sort of cushion against the hard floor. He searched around and found a small lantern near the door. He lit it, keeping the wick low as he set it in the middle of the room, far away from any of the flammable foodstuffs. 

"This is someone's storeroom," Xiao Xingchen frowned. "Is this really our only option?"

"We'll be gone in the morning," Xue Yang pointed out. "As long as we don't take anything, they shouldn't mind."

Of course Xue Yang had every intention of taking something from the storeroom, if he could. It was stupid not to, when someone had left all this food with just a simple lock to protect it. The lock was old and rusted. It had practically broken off in his hand before he could actually pick it. 

"You're right," Xiao Xingchen agreed. He settled down to meditate for a while, and Xue Yang pretended to do the same. In reality, he merely watched Xiao Xingchen's face as he focused on cultivating. 

He wanted to take those bandages off, Xue Yang thought to himself. He remembered what Xiao Xingchen had looked like when they had first met, how young he had looked. Now time and a lifestyle that involved plenty of skipped meals had sharped the lines of his face, given way to emaciated cheekbones. It wasn't conventionally beautiful like that of a pretty girl, but there was a certain allure to him. He looked delicate, fragile. Like a shard of broken pottery, all hard lines and sharp edges. No, a knife. Xiao Xingchen was a knife, and like a knife he was just as blind, directed only by his handler. 

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Xingchen suddenly spoke up, as if he could feel Xue Yang's eyes on him. 

"There's only one thing in here that I care to look at," Xue Yang responded flirtatiously. "Can you guess what it is?"

He watched Xiao Xingchen smile, his cheeks flush ever so slightly. A-Qing had quickly figured out what sort of relationship they shared now. She had been annoyingly _there_ every time Xue Yang wanted Xiao Xingchen's body. Even when she was asleep, they all stayed in the same, one-room shack at the coffin house. This was probably the first time she had willingly parted ways with Xiao Xingchen for more than an hour since she had been back. 

Xue Yang felt lust rise within him as he thought of them writhing together on the storeroom floor. His eyes darted around the storeroom, but it was dark, lit only by the small lantern in the middle of the room. There was nothing here that would ease the way, he realized. Would Xiao Xingchen still want to fuck him without it?

"Did you light a lantern just to look at me?" Xiao Xingchen asked, surprise evident in his voice. "You shouldn't waste the oil like that. It's not even our lantern."

Xue Yang reached forward to blow the lantern out, setting it aside before crawling over to settle himself in Xiao Xingchen's lap. The air was cold, but it was still warmer than it would have been outside. His hands rested on the daoshi's shoulders as he leaned in to press their lips together, to taste Xiao Xingchen. The kiss was returned with equal vigor. 

Long fingers reached up to clasp his wrist, running along the gauntlet until Xiao Xingchen found the ties there and began to take it off. Xue Yang closed his eyes and squeezed Xiao Xingchen's shoulder in want. He dragged his teeth along Xiao Xingchen's bottom lip as the hands repeated their motion with his other gauntlet, the black leather falling to the floor with a light thump. Xue Yang reached down to untie his belt, pulling it away to drop it on the floor as he finally parted lips with Xiao Xingchen, breathing heavily. He wasn't even naked yet, but he knew he _wanted_ him. 

"Daozhang," he murmured. "I want you. Here. In this storeroom."

Those hands were back, coaxing his outer robe open as Xiao Xingchen kissed his neck. He could feel Xiao Xingchen underneath him, just as hard was he was. 

"We haven't eaten today," Xiao Xingchen replied, to Xue Yang's ire. "And we don't know when, or if, we'll eat tomorrow. We need to conserve our strength."

And then Xiao Xingchen flipped Xue Yang over so that he was laying on the soft sacks of rice. A few grains poked through the burlap to poke into his back. He heard, more than saw, Xiao Xingchen divest himself of his outer robe as well before laying beside him, pulling both of their outer robes over them to use as blankets. It would be warmer this way, Xue Yang realized, not just with Xiao Xingchen next to him, but halfway unclothed and sharing the two outer robes. 

Xue Yang turned on his side, arms snaking around Xiao Xingchen to pull him closer. Their legs intertwined as they squeezed under the makeshift blankets. His teeth found the arch of Xiao Xingchen's neck, suckling and nipping. A slight groan reached his ears as Xiao Xingchen tilted his head away to give Xue Yang more room. They were both hard, something they could both feel through the remainder of their clothes. Xue Yang wanted more. He knew that if he pushed, Xiao Xingchen would cave to him. They could have each other here on the floor of the storeroom. He wanted that. 

He also, however, realized how logical the daoshi was being. His lips trailed down Xiao Xingchen's neck, finding the bit of exposed shoulder that his inner robes revealed. They hadn't eaten all day, and there was no promise of eating soon, either. It was unwise to waste energy on carnal acts, no matter how much they craved them. Xue Yang finally pushed his lips to Xiao Xingchen's clothed shoulder and stayed his actions. They should sleep now, and see what they could find in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's our last story arc! I want to thank everyone that's continued to comment and push me to work on this fic over the past several, several months. Thank you so, so much. 
> 
> (Also if you happen to also like SongXiao, I have some SongXiao fics up now!)


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